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Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-4433

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 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 13.0.0.302 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-2015-3120, CVE-2015-3121, and CVE-2015-3122.

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

Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR contain a type confusion vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. The flaw affects specific versions across Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms, as well as the AIR SDK and Compiler. This is distinct from related CVEs (CVE-2015-3119, CVE-2015-3120, CVE-2015-3121, CVE-2015-3122).

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 13.0.0.302, 18.0.0.203 (14.x-18.x), or 11.2.202.481 (Linux), and Adobe AIR to version 18.0.0.180 or later. Given the CVSS 10 critical rating, prioritize immediate patching across all affected systems.

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:<= 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 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 if Adobe Flash Player is installed
    On Windows, check for Flash OCX/DLL files in browser plugin directories (e.g., C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\) or look for npctrl.dll. On Linux, check for /usr/lib/flash-plugin/libflashplayer.so or /opt/flash-player/libflashplayer.so. On macOS, check /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin
    Affected if Any Flash Player file is present on the system
  2. Get Adobe Flash Player version number
    Right-click on a Flash content in a browser and select 'About Adobe Flash Player', or right-click the Flash DLL/OCX file and view Properties > Details for the File Version
    Affected if Version matches <= 11.2.202.468, <= 13.0.0.289, or any of 14.0.0.125/145/176/179, 15.0.0.152/167/189/223/239/246
  3. Identify if Adobe AIR is installed
    On Windows, check for Adobe AIR in Add/Remove Programs or look in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe AIR\ or C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Local\Adobe\AIR\. On macOS, check /Applications/Adobe AIR folder
    Affected if Adobe AIR application directory exists on the system
  4. Get Adobe AIR version
    Check the AIR application's version through Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Adobe AIR, or view the version.plist file within the Adobe AIR app folder, or check the AIR runtime DLL version in System32
    Affected if Version is <= 18.0.0.144
  5. Check for Adobe AIR SDK installation
    Look for AIR SDK in development directories such as C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe AIR SDK or check for airsdk version via command line if Adobe AIR SDK/Compiler was installed separately
    Affected if AIR SDK version is <= 18.0.0.144

The system is affected if any installed Adobe Flash Player version is <= 11.2.202.468, <= 13.0.0.289, or matches any of the specific 14.x or 15.x versions listed, OR if Adobe AIR or AIR SDK is version <= 18.0.0.144.

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 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 (14.x-18.x), or 11.2.202.481 (Linux), and Adobe AIR to version 18.0.0.180 or later. Given the CVSS 10 critical rating, prioritize immediate patching across all affected systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

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

  1. 1. Identify the installed Adobe Flash Player version by navigating to https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html and checking the version displayed, or by accessing the Flash Player About dialog from the right-click menu.
  2. 2. Identify the installed Adobe AIR version by opening the AIR Settings application or checking Add/Remove Programs.
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed version from the Adobe security bulletin at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb15-16.html
  4. 4. For Flash Player: Download and install version 13.0.0.302 (for 13.x branch), version 18.0.0.203 (for 14.x-18.x on Windows/OS X), or version 11.2.202.481 (for Linux).
  5. 5. For Adobe AIR: Download and install version 18.0.0.180 or later.
  6. 6. For Adobe AIR SDK: Download and install version 18.0.0.180 or later from the Adobe AIR SDK download page.
  7. 7. Verify the installation was successful by re-checking the Flash Player and AIR versions.
  8. 8. Restart any browsers or applications that use Flash Player or AIR to ensure the new version is loaded.
Caveat Adobe Flash Player reached end-of-life on December 31, 2020; consider migrating away from Flash-based content as no further updates are available.

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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,570
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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-2015-4433 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data