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Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2012-5256

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-10-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 11.1.115.17 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.29 and 11.x before 11.4.402.287 on Windows and Mac OS X, before 10.3.183.29 and 11.x before 11.2.202.243 on Linux, before 11.1.111.19 on Android 2.x and 3.x, and before 11.1.115.20 on Android 4.x; Adobe AIR before 3.4.0.2710; and Adobe AIR SDK before 3.4.0.2710 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than other Flash Player memory corruption CVEs listed in APSB12-22.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via unspecified vectors. The flaw affects multiple versions across Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Android platforms.

MitigationUpgrade Adobe Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29+, 11.4.402.287+, 11.2.202.243+, 11.1.111.19+, or 11.1.115.20+ (depending on platform) and Adobe AIR/SDK to 3.4.0.2710 or later.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Flash PlayerApplication
Affected:<= 10.3.183.25= 10.1.85.3= 10.1.102.64= 10.2.152.26= 10.2.152.32= 10.2.153.1= 10.2.159.1= 10.3.181.14= 10.3.181.16= 10.3.181.22= 10.3.181.26= 10.3.181.34
Flash Player For AndroidApplication
Affected:<= 11.1.111.16= 10.1.106.17= 10.2.157.51= 10.3.186.7= 11.0.1.153= 11.1.102.59= 11.1.111.5= 11.1.111.7= 11.1.111.8= 11.1.111.9= 11.1.111.10<= 11.1.115.17
Adobe AirApplication
Affected:<= 3.4.0.2540= 1.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.8.4990= 1.0.4990= 1.1= 1.1.0.5790= 1.5= 1.5.0.7220= 1.5.1= 1.5.1.8210= 1.5.2
Adobe Air SdkApplication
Affected:<= 3.4.0.2540

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Adobe Flash Player version on Windows, Mac, or Linux
    Visit a webpage with Flash content or check the Flash Player DLL version. On Windows, right-click the flash*.ocx file in C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash and view Properties > Details to see the File Version. On Mac, check /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash Player/ for the version string.
    Affected if The installed version is 10.3.183.25 or earlier, OR equals any of these: 10.1.85.3, 10.1.102.64, 10.2.152.26, 10.2.152.32, 10.2.153.1, 10.2.159.1, 10.3.181.14, 10.3.181.16, 10.3.181.22, 10.3.181.26, or 10.3.181.34
  2. Check Adobe Flash Player for Android version
    Go to Settings > Applications > Adobe Flash Player on the Android device and view the version information, or check the APK file version if installed from an APK.
    Affected if The installed version is 11.1.111.16 or earlier, OR equals any of these: 10.1.106.17, 10.2.157.51, 10.3.186.7, 11.0.1.153, 11.1.102.59, 11.1.111.5, 11.1.111.7, 11.1.111.8, 11.1.111.9, 11.1.111.10, OR version 11.1.115.17 or earlier
  3. Check Adobe AIR version on desktop
    Open the Adobe AIR application and check its About/Help menu for version information. On Windows, check the AIR.dll file version in the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe AIR\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe AIR\). On Mac, check /Library/Application Support/Adobe/AIR/
    Affected if The installed version is 3.4.0.2540 or earlier, OR equals any of these: 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.8.4990, 1.0.4990, 1.1, 1.1.0.5790, 1.5, 1.5.0.7220, 1.5.1, or 1.5.1.8210
  4. Check Adobe AIR SDK version
    If you have the Adobe AIR SDK installed for development, locate the AIR SDK readme or version file (typically in the SDK root directory) to identify the version number.
    Affected if The installed AIR SDK version is 3.4.0.2540 or earlier

You are affected if any installed Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Flash Player for Android, Adobe AIR, or Adobe AIR SDK version matches or falls within the specific version ranges listed in the CVE, as the vulnerability is present in those versions regardless of configuration.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 11.1.115.17
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Adobe Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29+, 11.4.402.287+, 11.2.202.243+, 11.1.111.19+, or 11.1.115.20+ (depending on platform) and Adobe AIR/SDK to 3.4.0.2710 or later.

Recommended fix High confidence

Flash Player 10.3.183.29+/11.4.402.287+ (Windows/Mac), 11.2.202.243+ (Linux), 11.1.111.19+ (Android 2.x/3.x), 11.1.115.20+ (Android 4.x); Adobe AIR 3.4.0.2710+; Adobe AIR SDK 3.4.0.2710+

  1. 1. Identify the installed Adobe Flash Player version by navigating to 'About Flash Player' in the right-click menu or checking the system's program listings
  2. 2. Identify the operating system (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, or Android) and Flash Player variant (desktop or Android)
  3. 3. For Windows/Mac OS X: Download and install Flash Player 10.3.183.29 or 11.x series 11.4.402.287 or later from the Adobe website
  4. 4. For Linux: Download and install Flash Player 10.3.183.29 or 11.x series 11.2.202.243 or later
  5. 5. For Android 2.x/3.x: Update to Flash Player 11.1.111.19 or later
  6. 6. For Android 4.x: Update to Flash Player 11.1.115.20 or later
  7. 7. For Adobe AIR applications: Upgrade Adobe AIR to version 3.4.0.2710 or later
  8. 8. For AIR SDK developers: Upgrade Adobe AIR SDK to version 3.4.0.2710 or later
Caveat Upgrading Flash Player/AIR may cause incompatibility with older content or applications that rely on specific older Flash versions; thoroughly test critical web applications after upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Flash Player Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-5256 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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