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Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-8441

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-12-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 19.0.0.241 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
Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.268 and 19.x and 20.x before 20.0.0.228 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.554 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 20.0.0.204, Adobe AIR SDK before 20.0.0.204, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 20.0.0.204 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-8048, CVE-2015-8049, CVE-2015-8050, CVE-2015-8055, CVE-2015-8056, CVE-2015-8057, CVE-2015-8058, CVE-2015-8059, CVE-2015-8061, CVE-2015-8062, CVE-2015-8063, CVE-2015-8064, CVE-2015-8065, CVE-2015-8066, CVE-2015-8067, CVE-2015-8068, CVE-2015-8069, CVE-2015-8070, CVE-2015-8071, CVE-2015-8401, CVE-2015-8402, CVE-2015-8403, CVE-2015-8404, CVE-2015-8405, CVE-2015-8406, CVE-2015-8410, CVE-2015-8411, CVE-2015-8412, CVE-2015-8413, CVE-2015-8414, CVE-2015-8420, CVE-2015-8421, CVE-2015-8422, CVE-2015-8423, CVE-2015-8424, CVE-2015-8425, CVE-2015-8426, CVE-2015-8427, CVE-2015-8428, CVE-2015-8429, CVE-2015-8430, CVE-2015-8431, CVE-2015-8432, CVE-2015-8433, CVE-2015-8434, CVE-2015-8435, CVE-2015-8436, CVE-2015-8437, CVE-2015-8442, CVE-2015-8447, CVE-2015-8448, CVE-2015-8449, CVE-2015-8450, CVE-2015-8452, and CVE-2015-8454.

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

Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by accessing memory after it has been freed. The vulnerability affects specific versions of Flash Player (before 18.0.0.268, and 19.x/20.x before 20.0.0.228 on Windows/OS X, before 11.2.202.554 on Linux) and AIR (before 20.0.0.204).

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.268 or later (20.0.0.228 for v19.x/20.x) and Adobe AIR to 20.0.0.204 or later. If Flash/AIR cannot be updated, disable or remove the software to eliminate the attack surface.

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:<= 18.0.0.261= 19.0.0.185= 19.0.0.207= 19.0.0.226= 19.0.0.245<= 11.2.202.548
AirApplication
Affected:<= 19.0.0.241
Air SdkApplication
Affected:<= 19.0.0.241
Air Sdk \& CompilerApplication
Affected:<= 19.0.0.241

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 on Windows
    Open a command prompt and run: reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Macromedia\FlashPlayer" /v Version (for 64-bit also check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Macromedia\FlashPlayer). Alternatively, open a Flash-enabled page in a browser and access the version via the swfobject or by navigating to about:flash in Firefox.
    Affected if The reported version is less than or equal to 18.0.0.261, or equals 19.0.0.185, 19.0.0.207, 19.0.0.226, or 19.0.0.245.
  2. Check Adobe Flash Player version on macOS
    Open System Preferences and click on Flash Player, or open a terminal and check /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash Player for version files. In a browser, navigate to a Flash test page or use the Adobe Flash Player Settings manager.
    Affected if The reported version is less than or equal to 18.0.0.261, or equals 19.0.0.185, 19.0.0.207, 19.0.0.226, or 19.0.0.245.
  3. Check Adobe Flash Player version on Linux
    Use the package manager to query the installed version: dpkg -l | grep flashplayer (Debian/Ubuntu) or rpm -qa | grep flash (RHEL/CentOS). Alternatively, check /usr/lib/flash-plugin for installed files.
    Affected if The reported version is less than or equal to 11.2.202.548.
  4. Check Adobe AIR version
    On Windows, check Add/Remove Programs or the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\AIR for the Version string. On macOS, check /Library/Application Support/Adobe/AIR or the Application folder. Run the command: air -version if AIR SDK is installed.
    Affected if The reported version is less than or equal to 19.0.0.241.
  5. Check Adobe AIR SDK or AIR SDK Compiler version
    If installed as part of a development environment, check the SDK directory for version information. Look for a version file or manifest in the AIR SDK installation path, typically under the SDK's root directory.
    Affected if The SDK version is less than or equal to 19.0.0.241.

You are affected if any installed version of Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, Adobe AIR SDK, or Adobe AIR SDK Compiler matches or falls within the affected version ranges listed for this CVE.

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 19.0.0.241
Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.268 or later (20.0.0.228 for v19.x/20.x) and Adobe AIR to 20.0.0.204 or later. If Flash/AIR cannot be updated, disable or remove the software to eliminate the attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

Flash Player: 18.0.0.268 or later / 20.0.0.228 or later; Flash Player Linux: 11.2.202.554 or later; Adobe AIR/SDK/Compiler: 20.0.0.204 or later

  1. Verify current Adobe Flash Player version by navigating to 'About Flash Player' in the player or checking your system's installed programs
  2. Verify current Adobe AIR version by checking the AIR settings or installed programs
  3. Download the appropriate fixed version from the official Adobe security bulletin (APSB15-32) or Adobe's Flash Player download center
  4. For Flash Player: Install version 18.0.0.268 or later (or version 20.0.0.228 or later for the 19.x/20.x branch)
  5. For Flash Player Linux: Install version 11.2.202.554 or later
  6. For Adobe AIR, AIR SDK, and AIR SDK & Compiler: Install version 20.0.0.204 or later
  7. Restart any affected browsers or applications after installation
  8. Verify the installed version matches the fixed release
Caveat Flash Player reached end-of-life on December 31, 2020; consider migrating away from Flash-based content as modern browsers have removed Flash support

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

Fix this in Flash Player Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2015-8441 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