dbcve.org
Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-5552

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 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 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 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5544, CVE-2015-5545, CVE-2015-5546, CVE-2015-5547, CVE-2015-5548, CVE-2015-5549, and CVE-2015-5553.

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 · moderate confidence

Memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and AIR allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors. The flaw affects multiple product versions across Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.232 or later (11.2.202.508 for Linux) and Adobe AIR to version 18.0.0.199 or later. Given the critical severity (CVSS 10) and code execution capability, prioritize patching immediately.

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:<= 11.2.202.491<= 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 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 Internet Explorer
    Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash and locate the Flash.ocx file. Right-click the file, select Properties, then view the Details tab to find the Product Version.
    Affected if Version is 11.2.202.491 or earlier, OR version is 18.0.0.209 or earlier (for 18.x branch)
  2. Check Adobe Flash Player version in Firefox or other browsers
    Open the browser, navigate to about:addons (Firefox) or manage plugins (other browsers). Locate the Shockwave Flash plugin and note the Version field.
    Affected if Version is 11.2.202.491 or earlier, OR version is 18.0.0.209 or earlier (for 18.x branch)
  3. Check Adobe AIR version on Windows
    Open Control Panel, select Programs and Features, locate Adobe AIR in the list, and note the Version column.
    Affected if Version is 18.0.0.180 or earlier
  4. Check Adobe AIR SDK version on Windows
    Locate the Adobe AIR SDK installation directory (commonly in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe AIR SDK or C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Adobe\AIR). Look for a version file or check the folder name containing the SDK files.
    Affected if Version is 18.0.0.180 or earlier (folder or version file shows this or lower)
  5. Check for Flash Player on macOS
    Open Finder, navigate to /Library/Internet Plug-Ins, and locate FlashPlayer.plugin. Right-click and select Get Info to view the Version.
    Affected if Version is 11.2.202.491 or earlier, OR version is 18.0.0.209 or earlier (for 18.x branch)
  6. Check for Flash Player on Linux
    Open a terminal and run: rpm -qa | grep -i flash (for RPM-based) or dpkg -l | grep -i flash (for Debian-based). Also check /usr/lib/flash-plugin/ for the installation directory.
    Affected if Version is 11.2.202.491 or earlier

A system is affected if Adobe Flash Player version is at or below 11.2.202.491, or at or below 18.0.0.209 for the 18.x branch, or Adobe AIR/SDK is at or below 18.0.0.180.

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 18.0.0.209
Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.232 or later (11.2.202.508 for Linux) and Adobe AIR to version 18.0.0.199 or later. Given the critical severity (CVSS 10) and code execution capability, prioritize patching immediately.

Recommended fix High confidence

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

  1. Identify which Adobe product is affected: Flash Player, AIR, AIR SDK, or AIR SDK & Compiler
  2. For Flash Player on Windows/OS X: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.232 or later
  3. For Flash Player on Linux: Upgrade to version 11.2.202.508 or later
  4. For Adobe AIR: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.199 or later
  5. For Adobe AIR SDK: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.199 or later
  6. For Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.199 or later
  7. Download the appropriate update from the Adobe security bulletin at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb15-19.html
  8. Install the update following Adobe's installation instructions
Caveat Note: Adobe Flash Player reached end-of-life on December 31, 2020. Consider migrating away from Flash-based content as no further updates will be available.

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

Fix this in Flash Player 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-2015-5552 — 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-2015-5552 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