Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-5550

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-08-14

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 18.0.0.209 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.232 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.508 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 18.0.0.199, Adobe AIR SDK before 18.0.0.199, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 18.0.0.199 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5127, CVE-2015-5130, CVE-2015-5134, CVE-2015-5539, CVE-2015-5540, CVE-2015-5551, CVE-2015-5556, CVE-2015-5557, CVE-2015-5559, CVE-2015-5561, CVE-2015-5563, CVE-2015-5564, and CVE-2015-5565.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors. This is a memory corruption vulnerability where the application attempts to use memory after it has been freed, enabling code execution.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.232 or later (Windows/OS X) / 11.2.202.508 or later (Linux), and Adobe AIR/SDK to version 18.0.0.199 or later. Given Flash is end-of-life, consider removing it entirely if no longer required.

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:<= 11.2.202.491<= 18.0.0.209

AirApplication

Affected:<= 18.0.0.180

Air SdkApplication

Affected:<= 18.0.0.180

Air Sdk \& CompilerApplication

Affected:<= 18.0.0.180

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 Adobe Flash Player version

On Windows: Check version via Control Panel > Programs and Features, or locate the Flash Player DLL (npap.dll for Firefox or Pepflashplayer.dll for Chrome) and view file properties. On macOS: Check /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin bundle info. On Linux: Run 'rpm -q flash-player' or check /usr/lib/flash-plugin/ directory.

Affected if The installed Flash Player version is 11.2.202.491 or earlier, or 18.0.0.209 or earlier on Windows/OS X, or if the version cannot be determined but Flash is present and hasn't been patched.
Identify installed Adobe AIR version

On Windows: Check Control Panel > Programs and Features for 'Adobe AIR' entry and its version, or locate the AIR installation at C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe AIR\Versions\ and check the folder name or AIRApplicationInstaller.exe properties. On macOS: Check /Applications/Adobe AIR Installer.app info or the AIR version folder in /Library/Application Support/Adobe/AIR/

Affected if The installed Adobe AIR version is 18.0.0.180 or earlier, or if Adobe AIR is present and the version cannot be determined.
Identify installed Adobe AIR SDK version

Check for AIR SDK installation directories such as C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\AIR_SDK or C:\AIR_SDK on Windows, or /usr/local/AIR_SDK or ~/AIR_SDK on Linux/macOS. Within the SDK folder, open the readme or release notes, or check the version.xml or version.txt file for the exact version number.

Affected if The Adobe AIR SDK version is 18.0.0.180 or earlier, or if the AIR SDK is present and its version cannot be determined.
Determine if vulnerable Flash or AIR components are actively used

Check browser plugins configuration: In Firefox, go to Add-ons > Plugins and note if Flash is enabled. In Chrome, go to chrome://plugins and check Flash Player status. For AIR applications, review installed applications in the AIR runtime or check if any web content loads Flash-based elements.

Affected if Adobe Flash Player plugin is enabled in browsers or Adobe AIR runtime is installed and actively used, and the version falls within the affected ranges.

A system is affected if Adobe Flash Player version is 11.2.202.491 or earlier (Linux) or 18.0.0.209 or earlier (Windows/OS X), or if Adobe AIR/SDK version is 18.0.0.180 or earlier, and the respective software is present and enabled for use.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 18.0.0.209

Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →

Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.232 or later (Windows/OS X) / 11.2.202.508 or later (Linux), and Adobe AIR/SDK to version 18.0.0.199 or later. Given Flash is end-of-life, consider removing it entirely if no longer required.

Recommended fix High confidence

Flash Player 18.0.0.232 (Windows/OS X), 11.2.202.508 (Linux); AIR/AIR SDK/AIR SDK & Compiler 18.0.0.199

Identify which Adobe product is affected: Flash Player, AIR, AIR SDK, or AIR SDK & Compiler
For Flash Player on Windows or OS X: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.232 or later
For Flash Player on Linux: Upgrade to version 11.2.202.508 or later
For Adobe AIR: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.199 or later
For Adobe AIR SDK: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.199 or later
For Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.199 or later
Obtain the appropriate installer from the official Adobe security bulletin at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb15-19.html
Install the updated version and restart any affected applications

Caveat Flash Player reached end-of-life in December 2020; migrating away from Flash-based applications is recommended

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
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

18.0 hours of engineering $3,200

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-5550 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2015-5550?

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 18.0.0.209 or later

Severity 10.0 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 44.8%

Affects: Flash Player

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Flash Player 18 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $3,200

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2015-5550 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