Air SdkApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-8457

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

NVD · unedited

Stack-based buffer overflow 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-2015-8407.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR allowing arbitrary code execution. Affects versions prior to 18.0.0.268 and 20.0.0.228 on Windows/OS X, prior to 11.2.202.554 on Linux, and Adobe AIR/SDK prior to 20.0.0.204. Rated CVSS 10 indicating critical severity with complete system compromise potential.

MitigationApply vendor patches by updating Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.268+, 20.0.0.228+, or later and Adobe AIR/SDK to 20.0.0.204+ as specified in the Adobe security bulletin.

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

Air SdkApplication

Affected:<= 19.0.0.241

Air Sdk \& CompilerApplication

Affected:<= 19.0.0.241

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

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 on 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), then note the Version value. Alternatively, open a browser and go to https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html to detect the version via the Adobe website.

Affected if The version is 18.0.0.261 or lower, equals 19.0.0.185, 19.0.0.207, 19.0.0.226, or 19.0.0.245, or is 11.2.202.548 or lower on Linux.
Check Adobe AIR version on Windows

Open Control Panel and view the installed programs list, looking for 'Adobe AIR' and noting the version number displayed. Alternatively, check the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\AIR for the Version value.

Affected if The installed version is 19.0.0.241 or lower, or is any version below 20.0.0.204.
Check Adobe AIR SDK version on Windows

Navigate to the Adobe AIR SDK installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe AIR SDK or within a development environment folder) and locate the readme or version file, or check the 'air-sdk-description.xml' file if present, to identify the SDK version.

Affected if The SDK version is 19.0.0.241 or lower.
Verify Flash Player plugin status in browsers

In Internet Explorer, go to Manage Add-ons and verify if the Flash Player Shockwave Control is enabled. In Chrome, type chrome://components in the address bar and check the Adobe Flash Player component status. In Firefox, go to Add-ons > Plugins and verify the Shockwave Flash entry.

Affected if The Shockwave Flash plugin is present and enabled on any browser, and the version matches the affected ranges listed in step 1.
Confirm AIR runtime availability on the system

Search for 'Adobe AIR' in the Windows Start menu or check C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\AIR for the Adobe AIR Application Installer executable. Right-click the installer, select Properties, and view the File Version.

Affected if Adobe AIR is installed and the file version corresponds to an affected release.

If Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, or Adobe AIR SDK is installed and its version falls within the affected ranges (any version below 18.0.0.268, 20.0.0.228, 11.2.202.554, or 20.0.0.204 respectively), the environment is vulnerable to this CVE.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 19.0.0.241

Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →

Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches by updating Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.268+, 20.0.0.228+, or later and Adobe AIR/SDK to 20.0.0.204+ as specified in the Adobe security bulletin.

Recommended fix High confidence

Flash Player 18.0.0.268/20.0.0.228+ (Windows/OS X), 11.2.202.554+ (Linux); Adobe AIR 20.0.0.204+; Adobe AIR SDK 20.0.0.204+

Navigate to https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb15-32.html to obtain the official patches
For Flash Player on Windows/OS X: Upgrade to version 18.0.0.268 or 20.0.0.228 or later
For Flash Player on Linux: Upgrade to version 11.2.202.554 or later
For Adobe AIR: Upgrade to version 20.0.0.204 or later
For Adobe AIR SDK: Upgrade to version 20.0.0.204 or later
For Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler: Upgrade to version 20.0.0.204 or later
After upgrading, verify the installed version matches the fixed release via adobe.com or system utilities

Caveat Flash Player 19.x and 20.x require upgrade to 20.0.0.228 or later; older major versions may have compatibility considerations with legacy Flash content

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

Fix this in Air Sdk 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-2015-8457 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2015-8457?

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 19.0.0.241 or later

Severity 10.0 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 9.0%

Affects: Air Sdk

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Air Sdk 9 hrs · Low

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-2015-8457 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