Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-5573

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-09-22

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 18.0.0.199 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 18.0.0.241 and 19.x before 19.0.0.185 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.521 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 19.0.0.190, Adobe AIR SDK before 19.0.0.190, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 19.0.0.190 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code by leveraging an unspecified "type confusion."

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A type confusion vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors. The vulnerability affects specific versions across Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms, enabling complete system compromise.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.241/19.0.0.185 or later (11.2.202.521 on Linux) and Adobe AIR to 19.0.0.190 or later. Note: Adobe Flash Player reached end-of-life in December 2020 and should be removed if possible rather than updated.

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:<= 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= 16.0.0.235

AirApplication

Affected:<= 18.0.0.199<= 18.0.0.143

Air SdkApplication

Affected:<= 18.0.0.199

Air Sdk \& CompilerApplication

Affected:<= 18.0.0.180

AndroidOperating system

Affected:all versions

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

Visit Adobe's version check page at https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html or enter 'about:plugin' in Firefox address bar, or check the FlashPlayerVersionChecker on Windows via Control Panel, or examine the npctrl.dll or flashplayer*.so file version in browser plugin directories

Affected if Version is <= 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; or = 16.0.0.235
Identify installed Adobe AIR version

On Windows, open Programs and Features (Add or Remove Programs) and look for 'Adobe AIR', or check the version from the AIR runtime installation directory. On macOS, check /Library/Application Support/Adobe/AIR or the AIR app Info.plist

Affected if Version is <= 18.0.0.199 on Windows/OS X, or <= 18.0.0.143 for older release channels
Identify Adobe AIR SDK version

Check the AIR SDK version by examining the SDK's about.html or version.properties file, or run 'adl -version' from the SDK bin directory if installed

Affected if AIR SDK version is <= 18.0.0.199, or AIR SDK & Compiler version is <= 18.0.0.180
Confirm browser plugin status

In each installed browser (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Edge), navigate to about:plugins (Firefox) or chrome://plugins (Chrome) and verify if the Adobe Flash Player plugin is enabled and loaded

Affected if The Flash Player browser plugin is enabled and the underlying Flash DLL version matches an affected version from step 1
Check Android devices for Adobe AIR

On Android devices, go to Settings > Apps and search for 'Adobe AIR' to see if the AIR runtime is installed. Also check for any Flash Player APK installations

Affected if Adobe AIR is installed on any Android device (all versions are affected)

The environment is affected if Adobe Flash Player version falls within the listed vulnerable versions, or if Adobe AIR/AIR SDK versions are at or below the specified thresholds, or if Adobe AIR exists on any Android device.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 18.0.0.199

Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →

Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.241/19.0.0.185 or later (11.2.202.521 on Linux) and Adobe AIR to 19.0.0.190 or later. Note: Adobe Flash Player reached end-of-life in December 2020 and should be removed if possible rather than updated.

Recommended fix High confidence

Flash Player 18.0.0.241+/19.0.0.185+ (Windows/OS X), 11.2.202.521+ (Linux); AIR/AIR SDK/AIR SDK & Compiler 19.0.0.190+

1. Identify the installed Adobe Flash Player version by navigating to 'about:flash' in a browser or checking the Add/Remove Programs list
2. Identify the installed Adobe AIR version from the Adobe AIR applications folder or system control panel
3. For Flash Player: Download and install version 18.0.0.241 or higher (Windows/OS X), or version 11.2.202.521 or higher (Linux) from the official Adobe security bulletin at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb15-23.html
4. For Adobe AIR: Download and install version 19.0.0.190 or higher from the Adobe security bulletin
5. For Adobe AIR SDK: Upgrade to version 19.0.0.190 or higher from the Adobe AIR SDK download page
6. For Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler: Upgrade to version 19.0.0.190 or higher
7. For Android devices: Uninstall Flash Player if installed, as no patch is available for Android
8. Verify the installed versions match or exceed the fixed versions after installation

Caveat Adobe Flash Player is end-of-life (December 2020); consider migrating to HTML5 as no further updates will be provided; Android has no patch available - uninstallation required

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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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-2015-5573 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2015-5573?

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 18.0.0.199 or later

Severity 10.0 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 5.7%

Affects: Flash Player

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Flash Player 9 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $1,600

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2015-5573 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