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Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2012-5259

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 · moderate confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR affecting multiple versions across Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Android platforms. Allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, providing full system compromise on vulnerable installations.

MitigationUpgrade Adobe Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29/11.4.402.287 (Windows/Mac), 11.2.202.243 (Linux), 11.1.111.19 (Android 2.x/3.x), or 11.1.115.20 (Android 4.x); also upgrade 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 in Windows browsers
    Open a browser, right-click anywhere on a page, select 'About Adobe Flash Player' (or visit adobe.com and go to version check). Alternatively, check the Windows Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Macromedia\FlashPlayer\CurrentVersion
    Affected if The displayed version matches any of these: 10.3.183.25 or lower; 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; or any version between 10.3.183.25 and 10.3.183.29 (if present)
  2. Check Adobe Flash Player version on Android
    Go to Settings > Apps > Manage Applications > Adobe Flash Player (or Adobe Flash Player 11) and view the version information under App Info
    Affected if The version matches: 11.1.111.16 or lower; 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 or lower
  3. Check Adobe AIR version on Windows
    Check the Windows Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\AIR\Version (or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Adobe\AIR\Version for per-user installs). Alternatively, open Control Panel > Programs and Features and look for Adobe Air
    Affected if The version is 3.4.0.2540 or lower; or matches exactly: 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
  4. Check Adobe AIR SDK version
    If you have Adobe AIR SDK installed for development, open the SDK's AIR SDK descriptor file (typically in the SDK root folder) or run: 'adl -version' from the SDK bin directory
    Affected if The AIR SDK version is 3.4.0.2540 or lower

A system is affected if Adobe Flash Player or Adobe AIR is installed and its version exactly matches one listed in the affected versions or falls within the <= 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 version 10.3.183.29/11.4.402.287 (Windows/Mac), 11.2.202.243 (Linux), 11.1.111.19 (Android 2.x/3.x), or 11.1.115.20 (Android 4.x); also upgrade Adobe AIR/SDK to 3.4.0.2710 or later.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Flash Player 10.3.183.29 or 11.x to 11.4.402.287 (Windows/Mac), 11.2.202.243 (Linux), 11.1.111.19 (Android 2.x/3.x), or 11.1.115.20 (Android 4.x); Adobe AIR 3.4.0.2710; Adobe AIR SDK 3.4.0.2710

  1. Identify the installed Adobe Flash Player or AIR version via the Adobe version check page or system settings
  2. Determine the correct fixed version based on your platform (Windows/Mac, Linux, Android 2.x/3.x, or Android 4.x)
  3. Uninstall the current vulnerable Adobe Flash Player or AIR version
  4. Download the appropriate fixed version from the Adobe security bulletin (APSB12-22) or Adobe's official download center
  5. Install the patched version and restart any affected applications
Caveat Adobe Flash Player and AIR reached end-of-life in December 2020; consider migrating to modern HTML5 alternatives

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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2012-5259 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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