dbcve.org
Adobe AirApplication · Adobe

CVE-2014-0551

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-2014-0549, CVE-2014-0550, 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

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

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 13.0.0.244, 15.0.0.152, or 11.2.202.406 (depending on platform), and Adobe AIR to 15.0.0.249 (Windows/OS X) or 15.0.0.252 (Android), or remove Flash entirely if unnecessary.

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 in Windows
    Open the Adobe Flash Player settings manager at https://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager07.html, or check the file version of NPSWF32.dll (Firefox) or Flash32.ocx/Flash64.ocx (Internet Explorer) in the browser's plugins folder
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: <= 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
  2. Check Adobe Flash Player version in Mac OS X or Linux
    Navigate to /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash Player/ and locate the version file, or visit the Flash Player About page at https://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/ in a browser
    Affected if The installed version matches any of the affected versions listed for Flash Player above
  3. Check Adobe AIR version on Windows
    Open Programs and Features (or Add or Remove Programs), locate Adobe AIR in the list, and note the version shown in the installation date column, or check the file version of the Adobe AIR application installer in Program Files
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: <= 14.0.0.178, 13.0.0.83, 13.0.0.111, 14.0.0.110, 14.0.0.137, or <= 14.0.0.179 (checking both ranges provided)
  4. Check Adobe AIR version on Mac OS X or Android
    On Mac OS X, open /Applications/Adobe AIR Application Installer.app and check Get Info, or locate the Adobe AIR.app in Applications folder and view its package contents for version info. On Android, check the app version in Settings > Apps > Adobe AIR
    Affected if The installed version matches any of the affected versions listed for Adobe AIR above
  5. Check Adobe AIR SDK version
    Locate the AIR SDK installation directory (commonly under C:\Program Files\Adobe or in the developer's SDK folder) and check the version file or folder name containing the version number
    Affected if The installed SDK version matches any of these: <= 14.0.0.178, 13.0.0.83, 13.0.0.111, 14.0.0.110, or 14.0.0.137

If any installed Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, or Adobe AIR SDK version matches the affected version ranges, the environment is vulnerable to this memory corruption flaw.

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

Update Adobe Flash Player to version 13.0.0.244, 15.0.0.152, or 11.2.202.406 (depending on platform), and Adobe AIR to 15.0.0.249 (Windows/OS X) or 15.0.0.252 (Android), or remove Flash entirely if unnecessary.

Recommended fix High confidence

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

  1. Identify the installed Adobe product (Flash Player, AIR, or AIR SDK) and its current version
  2. For Flash Player on Windows/OS X: upgrade to 13.0.0.244 or 14.x/15.x to 15.0.0.152 or later
  3. For Flash Player on Linux: upgrade to 11.2.202.406 or later
  4. For Adobe AIR on Windows/OS X: upgrade to 15.0.0.249 or later
  5. For Adobe AIR on Android: upgrade to 15.0.0.252 or later
  6. For Adobe AIR SDK: upgrade to 15.0.0.249 or later
  7. Verify the installed version matches the fixed release
Caveat Security update with potential compatibility changes for legacy Flash content; test critical workflows after upgrade

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

Fix this in Adobe Air Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-0551 — 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-2014-0551 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