Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-5574

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

Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

Use-after-free vulnerability in 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 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5570, CVE-2015-5581, CVE-2015-5584, and CVE-2015-6682.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and AIR allowing arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management where memory is accessed after being freed, enabling attackers to potentially execute malicious code via unspecified vectors.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.241 or higher (19.x to 19.0.0.185+) on Windows/OS X, or 11.2.202.521+ on Linux. Update Adobe AIR and AIR SDK to version 19.0.0.190 or later.

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:<= 18.0.0.143<= 18.0.0.199

Air SdkApplication

Affected:<= 18.0.0.199

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.

Check Adobe Flash Player version in Windows

Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Macromedia\FlashPlayer\CurrentVersion (32-bit) or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Macromedia\FlashPlayer\CurrentVersion (64-bit). Note the Version value.

Affected if The version matches any of these: 13.0.0.289 or lower; 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
Check Adobe Flash Player version in browser

In Internet Explorer, navigate to the URL 'res://ieframe.dll/pluginnote.htm' or use a tool like 'flash version detect' websites. For Chrome, type 'chrome://components' and check Flash version. For Firefox, use Add-ons > Plugins to view Flash version.

Affected if The installed Flash Player version matches any of the affected versions listed above.
Check Adobe Air version on Windows

Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, locate Adobe Air, and note the version shown. Alternatively, check the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{ADBF61C2-3BAA-4D79-8FDE-3A8C6C9D3E95} (the AppID may vary) for the Version value.

Affected if The Adobe Air version is 18.0.0.143 or lower, or 18.0.0.199 or lower.
Check Adobe Air SDK version

Locate the Adobe Air SDK installation directory. Open the 'readme.txt' or 'version.txt' file in the SDK root directory, or check the 'AIR SDK Readme.txt' for the version number.

Affected if The Air SDK version is 18.0.0.199 or lower.
Check Adobe Air SDK and Compiler version

Locate the Adobe Air SDK and Compiler installation. Open the 'readme.txt' or 'version.xml' file in the SDK root directory to find the version number.

Affected if The Air SDK and Compiler version is 18.0.0.180 or lower.

A system is affected if any installed Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Air, Air SDK, or Air SDK and Compiler version matches the specific vulnerable versions listed in the CVE.

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 or higher (19.x to 19.0.0.185+) on Windows/OS X, or 11.2.202.521+ on Linux. Update Adobe AIR and AIR SDK to version 19.0.0.190 or later.

Recommended fix High confidence

Flash Player 18.0.0.241/19.0.0.185 (Win/OS X) or 11.2.202.521 (Linux); AIR/AIR SDK/AIR SDK & Compiler 19.0.0.190

Identify the installed Adobe product (Flash Player, AIR, AIR SDK, or AIR SDK & Compiler) and its current version
For Flash Player on Windows/OS X: upgrade to version 18.0.0.241 or 19.0.0.185 or later
For Flash Player on Linux: upgrade to version 11.2.202.521 or later
For Adobe AIR: upgrade to version 19.0.0.190 or later
For Adobe AIR SDK: upgrade to version 19.0.0.190 or later
For Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler: upgrade to version 19.0.0.190 or later
Download the fixed version from the official Adobe Security Bulletin APSB15-23 at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb15-23.html
Install the update following Adobe's standard installation procedure

Caveat Adobe Flash Player has reached end-of-life as of December 31, 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

Consultation1.0 h
Implementation2.0 h
Testing2.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

6.0 hours of engineering $1,040

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-5574 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-5574 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2015-5574?

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 45.5%

Affects: Flash Player

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Flash Player 6 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $1,040

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2015-5574 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