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Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2014-8438

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-11-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.2.202.418 / 13.0.0.252 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
Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.252 and 14.x and 15.x before 15.0.0.223 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.418 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 15.0.0.356, Adobe AIR SDK before 15.0.0.356, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 15.0.0.356 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-0573 and CVE-2014-0588.

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

Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors. The flaw exists in how Flash handles certain objects in memory, potentially allowing memory corruption leading to code execution.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to versions 13.0.0.252, 15.0.0.223 (Windows/OS X), or 11.2.202.418 (Linux), and Adobe AIR to version 15.0.0.356 or later. Remove or disable older versions where updates cannot be applied.

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:>= 13.0, < 13.0.0.252>= 14.0, <= 14.0.0.179>= 15.0, < 15.0.0.223>= 11.0, < 11.2.202.418
Air SdkApplication
Affected:<= 15.0.0.356
AirApplication
Affected:<= 15.0.0.356
Air Sdk \& CompilerApplication
Affected:< 15.0.0.356

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 installed Adobe Flash Player version
    On Windows, check the version in Add/Remove Programs or the Flash Player About box (right-click Flash content in browser). On Mac, check /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash Player or System Preferences. On Linux, check via package manager (rpm -q flash-plugin or dpkg -l | grep flash) or the Flash Player About dialog.
    Affected if Version is 13.0.0.0 through 13.0.0.251, 14.0.0.0 through 14.0.0.179, 15.0.0.0 through 15.0.0.222, or 11.0.0.0 through 11.2.202.417
  2. Identify installed Adobe AIR version
    On Windows, check Add/Remove Programs or the Adobe AIR version listed in the application. On Mac, check /Applications/Adobe AIR or System Preferences. Look for the version number in the application info or installation directory.
    Affected if Version is 15.0.0.356 or earlier
  3. Identify installed Adobe AIR SDK version
    Check the SDK version in the installation directory or manifest files. The SDK version is typically stored in a version file within the SDK folder or can be retrieved via the AIR SDK tools.
    Affected if SDK version is earlier than 15.0.0.356
  4. Check for multiple Flash installations
    Review all browsers and browser profiles for installed Flash plugins. Internet Explorer uses the ActiveX version (usually in C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash). Other browsers use the NPAPI version (often in %APPDATA%\Macromedia\Flash Player or browser-specific plugin directories).
    Affected if Any installed Flash version falls within the affected ranges listed in step 1

Your environment is affected if Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, or Adobe AIR SDK installed is any version prior to the fixed releases (13.0.0.252, 14.0.0.180, 15.0.0.223, 11.2.202.418, or 15.0.0.356 for AIR).

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 11.2.202.418 / 13.0.0.252 / 15.0.0.223 or later
Fixed in 11.2.202.41813.0.0.25215.0.0.223
Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Flash Player to versions 13.0.0.252, 15.0.0.223 (Windows/OS X), or 11.2.202.418 (Linux), and Adobe AIR to version 15.0.0.356 or later. Remove or disable older versions where updates cannot be applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Flash Player: 13.0.0.252 / 14.0.0.180 / 15.0.0.223 / 11.2.202.418 (Linux); Adobe AIR: 15.0.0.356; Adobe AIR SDK: 15.0.0.356

  1. 1. Identify the installed Adobe Flash Player version by navigating to About Flash Player in the player or checking the version through the system's installed programs
  2. 2. Identify the installed Adobe AIR version by checking the installed programs or runtime version
  3. 3. For Flash Player: Download and install the appropriate fixed version for your platform (13.0.0.252 for 13.x, 14.0.0.180 for 14.x, 15.0.0.223 for 15.x, or 11.2.202.418 for 11.x on Linux)
  4. 4. For Adobe AIR: Download and install version 15.0.0.356 or later from the Adobe website
  5. 5. For Adobe AIR SDK/Compiler: Download and install version 15.0.0.356 or later from the Adobe AIR SDK download page
  6. 6. Restart any browsers and applications using Flash Player or AIR after installation
  7. 7. Verify the installed versions match the fixed releases listed in APSB14-24
Caveat Adobe Flash Player reached end-of-life on December 31, 2020; consider migrating away from Flash-based content as Adobe no longer supports it

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2014-8438 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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