dbcve.org
Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2012-5257

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
Buffer overflow in 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 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than other Flash Player buffer overflow 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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors. The flaw affects multiple platform-specific versions (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android) and is distinct from other buffer overflow CVEs in APSB12-22.

MitigationUpgrade Adobe Flash Player to the patched versions (10.3.183.29, 11.4.402.287 Win/Mac, 11.2.202.243 Linux, 11.1.111.19 Android 2.x/3.x, 11.1.115.20 Android 4.x) and Adobe AIR 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. Identify Adobe Flash Player installation type and location
    Check if Flash Player is installed as a browser plugin (Internet Explorer/Netscape-based browsers) or as a standalone player. On Windows, examine the Add/Remove Programs list or check the plugin directory for the Flash Player ActiveX control (C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\) or NPAPI plugin.
    Affected if Any installation of Adobe Flash Player is found on the system.
  2. Determine installed Adobe Flash Player version
    In a browser, right-click on any Flash content and select 'About Adobe Flash Player' to see the version number. On Windows, also check the file properties of the Flash.ocx or NPSWF32.dll file in the plugin directory.
    Affected if The displayed version matches any of the vulnerable versions listed: <= 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
  3. Check for Adobe Flash Player for Android
    On Android devices, navigate to Settings > Applications > Adobe Flash Player to view the installed version. Also check for any Adobe AIR applications that bundle Flash content.
    Affected if Flash Player for Android version is <= 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; or <= 11.1.115.17.
  4. Check for Adobe AIR installation
    On Windows, open Add/Remove Programs or check for Adobe AIR in the program list. Run Adobe AIR applications and check Help > About, or examine the Adobe AIR version in the installation directory.
    Affected if Adobe AIR version is <= 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; or = 1.5.2.
  5. Check Adobe AIR SDK version
    If you have the Adobe AIR SDK installed for development, check the SDK version by examining the README or version file in the SDK installation directory, or run 'aircap -version' from the command line if available.
    Affected if Adobe AIR SDK version is <= 3.4.0.2540.

The environment is affected if any installed version of Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Flash Player for Android, Adobe AIR, or Adobe AIR SDK matches or falls within the vulnerable version ranges specified in the CVE.

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 the patched versions (10.3.183.29, 11.4.402.287 Win/Mac, 11.2.202.243 Linux, 11.1.111.19 Android 2.x/3.x, 11.1.115.20 Android 4.x) and Adobe AIR to 3.4.0.2710 or later.

Recommended fix High confidence

Flash Player 10.3.183.29+/11.x (11.4.402.287+ Win/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 specific Adobe Flash Player or AIR version currently installed by checking Help > About in the application
  2. 2. For Windows/Mac OS X Flash Player users: upgrade to version 10.3.183.29 or later, or version 11.4.402.287 or later for the 11.x branch
  3. 3. For Linux Flash Player users: upgrade to version 10.3.183.29 or later, or version 11.2.202.243 or later for the 11.x branch
  4. 4. For Android 2.x/3.x Flash Player users: upgrade to version 11.1.111.19 or later
  5. 5. For Android 4.x Flash Player users: upgrade to version 11.1.115.20 or later
  6. 6. For Adobe AIR users: upgrade to version 3.4.0.2710 or later
  7. 7. For Adobe AIR SDK developers: upgrade to version 3.4.0.2710 or later
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version number again
Caveat Modern browsers have removed or restricted Flash Player support; consider migrating to HTML5 as Adobe Flash reached end-of-life in December 2020

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

Fix this in Flash Player Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-5257 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2012-5257 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data