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Adobe AirApplication · Adobe

CVE-2014-0549

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-09-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 14.0.0.179 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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 13.0.0.244 and 14.x and 15.x before 15.0.0.152 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.406 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 15.0.0.249 on Windows and OS X and before 15.0.0.252 on Android, Adobe AIR SDK before 15.0.0.249, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 15.0.0.249 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-0547, CVE-2014-0550, CVE-2014-0551, CVE-2014-0552, and CVE-2014-0555.

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

This is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and AIR that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service. The vulnerability affects multiple versions across Windows, OS X, Linux, and Android platforms. It is distinct from several related CVEs (CVE-2014-0547, CVE-2014-0550, CVE-2014-0551, CVE-2014-0552, CVE-2014-0555) disclosed in the same period.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches immediately by updating Adobe Flash Player to version 13.0.0.244 or 15.0.0.152 (14.x/15.x), version 11.2.202.406 on Linux, and Adobe AIR to 15.0.0.249 (or 15.0.0.252 on Android).

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
Adobe AirApplication
Affected:<= 14.0.0.178= 13.0.0.83= 13.0.0.111= 14.0.0.110= 14.0.0.137<= 14.0.0.179
Flash PlayerApplication
Affected:<= 13.0.0.241= 13.0.0.182= 13.0.0.201= 13.0.0.206= 13.0.0.214= 13.0.0.223= 13.0.0.231= 14.0.0.125= 14.0.0.145= 14.0.0.176= 14.0.0.179= 15.0.0.144
Adobe Air SdkApplication
Affected:<= 14.0.0.178= 13.0.0.83= 13.0.0.111= 14.0.0.110= 14.0.0.137

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
    Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Macromedia\FlashPlayer\CurrentVersion (or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\FlashPlayer\InstallVersion on newer versions). Read the Version value.
    Affected if The version is <= 13.0.0.241 OR equals any of 13.0.0.182, 13.0.0.201, 13.0.0.206, 13.0.0.214, 13.0.0.223, 13.0.0.231, 14.0.0.125, 14.0.0.145, 14.0.0.176, 14.0.0.179, or 15.0.0.144
  2. Check Adobe Flash Player version on Linux
    Run rpm -q flash-plugin or check /usr/lib/flash-plugin directory for version files. Also check /etc/flash-player.properties if present.
    Affected if The version is <= 13.0.0.241 OR equals any of the specific versions listed in the affected range.
  3. Check Adobe Flash Player version on macOS
    Inspect /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash Player/ for version directories, or check the Flash Player plugin in /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin and right-click to Get Info.
    Affected if The version is <= 13.0.0.241 OR matches any of the vulnerable specific versions (13.0.0.182 through 15.0.0.144).
  4. Check Adobe AIR version on Windows
    Open Programs and Features (or Add/Remove Programs) and look for Adobe AIR in the list. Alternatively, check the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Adobe AIR for the DisplayVersion value.
    Affected if The version is <= 14.0.0.178 OR equals 13.0.0.83, 13.0.0.111, 14.0.0.110, 14.0.0.137, or <= 14.0.0.179 (includes 14.0.0.178 and earlier 14.x versions).
  5. Check Adobe AIR SDK version
    If the AIR SDK is installed, locate the SDK folder and check the version file (typically version.txt or a version property in the SDK descriptor). The SDK is commonly found in C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe AIR SDK or /Applications/Adobe AIR SDK on Mac.
    Affected if The SDK version is <= 14.0.0.178 OR equals 13.0.0.83, 13.0.0.111, 14.0.0.110, or 14.0.0.137.

You are affected if any installed instance of Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, or Adobe AIR SDK matches the vulnerable version ranges listed above.

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 14.0.0.179
Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches immediately by updating Adobe Flash Player to version 13.0.0.244 or 15.0.0.152 (14.x/15.x), version 11.2.202.406 on Linux, and Adobe AIR to 15.0.0.249 (or 15.0.0.252 on Android).

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Flash Player 13.0.0.244+ / 15.0.0.152+ (Windows/OS X), 11.2.202.406+ (Linux); Adobe AIR 15.0.0.249+ (Windows/OS X), 15.0.0.252+ (Android); Adobe AIR SDK 15.0.0.249+

  1. 1. Identify the installed Adobe Flash Player version by navigating to 'About Flash Player' in the context menu or visiting 'https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html'
  2. 2. For Windows/OS X: Upgrade Adobe Flash Player to version 13.0.0.244 or later (or 15.0.0.152+ for the 14.x/15.x track)
  3. 3. For Linux: Upgrade Adobe Flash Player to version 11.2.202.406 or later
  4. 4. For Adobe AIR (Windows/OS X): Upgrade to version 15.0.0.249 or later
  5. 5. For Adobe AIR (Android): Upgrade to version 15.0.0.252 or later
  6. 6. For Adobe AIR SDK: Upgrade to version 15.0.0.249 or later
  7. 7. Verify the update by checking the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed versions listed above
  8. 8. Restart any browsers or applications using Flash Player/AIR to load the updated version
Caveat Adobe Flash Player reached end-of-life on December 31, 2020; consider migrating to alternative technologies as no further updates will be available

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

Fix this in Adobe Air Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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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-2014-0549 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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