Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-3120

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-07-09

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 18.0.0.144 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.302 and 14.x through 18.x before 18.0.0.203 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.481 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 18.0.0.180, Adobe AIR SDK before 18.0.0.180, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 18.0.0.180 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code by leveraging an unspecified "type confusion," a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-3119, CVE-2015-3121, CVE-2015-3122, and CVE-2015-4433.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Type confusion vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The flaw affects multiple versions across Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms, specifically Flash Player versions before 13.0.0.302 and 14.x-18.x before 18.0.0.203 (Windows/OS X), before 11.2.202.481 (Linux), and AIR versions before 18.0.0.180.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 13.0.0.302, 18.0.0.203, or 11.2.202.481 (Linux), and Adobe AIR to 18.0.0.180 or later. Remove or disable Flash Player where possible given its end-of-life status.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Flash PlayerApplication

Affected:<= 11.2.202.468<= 13.0.0.289= 14.0.0.125= 14.0.0.145= 14.0.0.176= 14.0.0.179= 15.0.0.152= 15.0.0.167= 15.0.0.189= 15.0.0.223= 15.0.0.239= 15.0.0.246

AirApplication

Affected:<= 18.0.0.144

Air SdkApplication

Affected:<= 18.0.0.144

Air Sdk \& CompilerApplication

Affected:<= 18.0.0.144

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify installed Flash Player version

Visit Adobe's version check page at about:flash or use the official Adobe Flash Player Version Check service. On Windows, right-click the FlashPlayerPlugin_*.exe in System32 or check the DLL properties. On macOS, right-click Flash Player in /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/. On Linux, run 'rpm -q flash-player' or check /usr/lib/flash-plugin/.

Affected if The installed version is any of: <= 11.2.202.468, <= 13.0.0.289, 14.0.0.125, 14.0.0.145, 14.0.0.176, 14.0.0.179, 15.0.0.152, 15.0.0.167, 15.0.0.189, 15.0.0.223, 15.0.0.239, or 15.0.0.246 for any platform.
Identify installed Adobe AIR version

On Windows, check Add/Remove Programs for Adobe AIR or examine the version property of AIR's runtime DLL. On macOS, check /Applications/Adobe AIR Installer.app or run 'ls /Library/Application Support/Adobe/AIR/'. On Linux, run 'rpm -q adobe-air' or check /opt/adobe-air-sdk/.

Affected if The installed version is <= 18.0.0.144.
Identify installed Adobe AIR SDK version

Check the version file or manifest within the AIR SDK installation directory. Common locations include /opt/air_sdk or C:\Program Files\Adobe\AIR SDK on Windows.

Affected if The installed AIR SDK or AIR SDK & Compiler version is <= 18.0.0.144.
Determine operating system platform

Run 'uname -a' on Linux/macOS or right-click This PC > Properties on Windows to confirm the OS version and architecture.

Affected if The platform is Windows or OS X with Flash Player versions 13.x-15.x (before 18.0.0.203) or Linux with Flash Player before 11.2.202.481.
Verify if Flash Player browser plugin is active

Check enabled browser plugins: in Chrome, navigate to chrome://plugins; in Firefox, navigate to Add-ons > Plugins. Confirm the Shockwave Flash entry points to the detected vulnerable version.

Affected if The browser plugin list shows a Flash Player version matching the affected ranges above and the plugin is enabled.

A system is affected if Adobe Flash Player version is <= 11.2.202.468 (Linux), <= 13.0.0.289, or any of the specific 14.x-15.x versions listed, OR if Adobe AIR/SDK version is <= 18.0.0.144 on any platform.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 18.0.0.144

Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →

Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Flash Player to version 13.0.0.302, 18.0.0.203, or 11.2.202.481 (Linux), and Adobe AIR to 18.0.0.180 or later. Remove or disable Flash Player where possible given its end-of-life status.

Recommended fix High confidence

Flash Player: 13.0.0.302 (13.x) or 18.0.0.203 (14.x-18.x) or 11.2.202.481 (Linux); Adobe AIR/SDK: 18.0.0.180

1. Identify all systems with Adobe Flash Player or Adobe AIR installed
2. Check current version of Flash Player: On Windows, go to Control Panel > Programs > Flash Player; On Mac, check System Preferences > Flash Player
3. For Flash Player on Windows and OS X: Upgrade to version 13.0.0.302 or 18.0.0.203 depending on your release branch
4. For Flash Player on Linux: Upgrade to version 11.2.202.481
5. For Adobe AIR: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.180
6. For Adobe AIR SDK: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.180
7. For Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.180
8. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version again

Caveat Adobe Flash Player reached end-of-life in December 2020; consider migrating away from Flash-based content

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

Fix this in Flash Player Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation8.0 h
Testing6.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

20.0 hours of engineering $3,500

Get the upgrade done

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

helpx.adobe.comPatch / commit
helpx.adobe.comPatchVendor Advisory
lists.opensuse.orgThird Party Advisory
lists.opensuse.orgThird Party Advisory
rhn.redhat.comThird Party Advisory
www.securityfocus.comThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
security.gentoo.orgThird Party Advisory
www.securitytracker.com
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-3120 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2015-3120?

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

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 18.0.0.144 or later

Severity 10.0 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 7.4%

Affects: Flash Player

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Flash Player 20 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $3,500

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2015-3120 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References