CVE-2012-5286
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 · uneditedBuffer 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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and AIR allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors. The flaw exists in the memory handling of the affected software versions, enabling attackers to overwrite memory and inject malicious code.
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<= 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<= 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<= 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<= 3.4.0.2540CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Flash Player version on WindowsOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Macromedia\FlashPlayer\Version (32-bit) or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Macromedia\FlashPlayer\Version (64-bit). Read the Version value.Affected if The version listed matches <= 10.3.183.25 or any of these specific versions: 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.
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Check Flash Player plugin in browsersIn Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Manage Add-ons > Shockwave Flash Object and note the version. In Firefox, type about:plugins in the address bar and locate the Shockwave Flash entry. In Chrome, type chrome://plugins and find Flash.Affected if The displayed Flash Player version matches any of the vulnerable versions listed in the affected products.
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Check Adobe AIR version on WindowsOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Adobe AIR\DisplayVersion (or look for an entry with 'Adobe AIR' in the Uninstall registry key).Affected if The version matches <= 3.4.0.2540 or any of these specific versions: 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.
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Check Adobe AIR SDK versionIf the AIR SDK is installed locally, locate the AIR SDK folder (commonly in C:\Program Files\Adobe or a developer SDK directory) and check the version file or the flex_sdk or air_sdk version descriptor.Affected if The installed AIR SDK version is <= 3.4.0.2540.
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Check Flash Player for AndroidOn the Android device, go to Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Adobe Flash Player and view the version information.Affected if The version matches <= 11.1.111.16 or any of: 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.
If any installed version of Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, Adobe AIR SDK, or Flash Player for Android matches one of the vulnerable versions or falls within the vulnerable version ranges listed in the affected products, the environment is affected by CVE-2012-5286.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29/11.4.402.287 (Windows/Mac), 11.2.202.243 (Linux), or 11.1.115.20+ (Android); update Adobe AIR/AIR SDK to 3.4.0.2710 or later. Remove unused Flash installations.
Flash Player 10.3.183.29+/11.4.402.287+ (Win/Mac), 11.2.202.243+ (Linux), 11.1.111.19+ (Android 2/3), 11.1.115.20+ (Android 4); Adobe AIR 3.4.0.2710+; Adobe AIR SDK 3.4.0.2710+
- 1. Identify the installed Adobe Flash Player version by navigating to 'About Flash Player' in the player context menu
- 2. For Windows and Mac OS X: Upgrade Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29 or later, or version 11.4.402.287 or later for the 11.x branch
- 3. For Linux: Upgrade Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29 or later, or version 11.2.202.243 or later for the 11.x branch
- 4. For Android 2.x and 3.x: Upgrade Flash Player to version 11.1.111.19 or later
- 5. For Android 4.x: Upgrade Flash Player to version 11.1.115.20 or later
- 6. For Adobe AIR applications: Upgrade Adobe AIR to version 3.4.0.2710 or later
- 7. For AIR SDK developers: Upgrade Adobe AIR SDK to version 3.4.0.2710 or later
- 8. Verify the update was successful by checking the Flash Player or AIR version again
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-5286 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-5286 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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