Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2016-0984

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2016-02-10

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 20.0.0.286 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

In the wild High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.329 and 19.x and 20.x before 20.0.0.306 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.569 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 20.0.0.260, Adobe AIR SDK before 20.0.0.260, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 20.0.0.260 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0973, CVE-2016-0974, CVE-2016-0975, CVE-2016-0982, and CVE-2016-0983.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors. The flaw occurs when memory is accessed after being freed, potentially enabling attackers to control memory execution flow.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.329, 20.0.0.306 or later (Windows/OS X) / 11.2.202.569 or later (Linux), and Adobe AIR to 20.0.0.260 or later. Since Flash Player is end-of-life, consider removing it entirely if no longer required.

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:<= 20.0.0.272<= 11.2.202.559<= 18.0.0.326<= 20.0.0.286

Flash Player Desktop RuntimeApplication

Affected:<= 20.0.0.286

Air Desktop RuntimeApplication

Affected:<= 20.0.0.233

Air SdkApplication

Affected:<= 20.0.0.233

Air Sdk \& CompilerApplication

Affected:<= 20.0.0.233

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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, or check the file properties of NPSWF32.dll in the System32 or SysWOW64 folder.

Affected if The version listed is 20.0.0.272 or earlier, 18.0.0.326 or earlier, 20.0.0.286 or earlier, or 11.2.202.559 or earlier depending on the branch.
Check Adobe Flash Player version on macOS

Open Finder, go to /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/, locate Flash Player.plugin, right-click and select Get Info to view the version, or run: defaults read /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/Flash\ Player.plugin/Contents/Info CFBundleVersion

Affected if The version is 20.0.0.272 or earlier, 18.0.0.326 or earlier, 20.0.0.286 or earlier, or 11.2.202.559 or earlier depending on the branch.
Check Adobe Flash Player version on Linux

Check the version file in the flash-plugin directory: cat /usr/lib/flash-plugin/version.properties or check the RPM/DEB package: rpm -q flash-plugin or dpkg -l | grep flash

Affected if The version is 11.2.202.559 or earlier.
Check Adobe Air Desktop Runtime version

On Windows, check the version in Add or Remove Programs or the file properties of AirRuntime.exe in the installation directory. On macOS, check /Applications/Adobe AIR Application Installer.app/Contents/Info.plist for CFBundleVersion.

Affected if The version is 20.0.0.233 or earlier.
Check Adobe Air SDK version

Locate the air-sdk directory in your development environment and check the version.txt or SDKDescription.xml file, or run: adt -version if the AIR Developer Tool is available.

Affected if The version is 20.0.0.233 or earlier.

If any installed Adobe Flash Player, Flash Player Desktop Runtime, Adobe Air Desktop Runtime, or Adobe Air SDK version falls at or below the thresholds listed (20.0.0.272, 18.0.0.326, 20.0.0.286, 11.2.202.559, or 20.0.0.233 depending on product and platform), the system is affected by CVE-2016-0984.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 20.0.0.286

Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →

Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Flash Player to version 18.0.0.329, 20.0.0.306 or later (Windows/OS X) / 11.2.202.569 or later (Linux), and Adobe AIR to 20.0.0.260 or later. Since Flash Player is end-of-life, consider removing it entirely if no longer required.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Flash Player 20.0.0.306 (or 18.0.0.329/11.2.202.569 for Linux); Adobe AIR 20.0.0.260

1. Identify the exact Adobe Flash Player or AIR version currently installed on the system
2. For Windows/OS X Flash Player users: Upgrade to version 20.0.0.306 or later (or 18.0.0.329 for the 18.x branch)
3. For Linux Flash Player users: Upgrade to version 11.2.202.569 or later
4. For Adobe AIR Desktop Runtime users: Upgrade to version 20.0.0.260 or later
5. For Adobe AIR SDK users: Upgrade to version 20.0.0.260 or later
6. For Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler users: Upgrade to version 20.0.0.260 or later
7. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release after upgrade

Caveat Flash Player is deprecated and no longer supported as of end-of-life; consider migrating away from Flash-based content

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

Fix this in Flash Player Exploited in the wild — priority engagement

Consultation1.0 h
Implementation2.0 h
Testing1.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

5.0 hours of engineering $890

Get it fixed fast

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

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References

Primary sources

helpx.adobe.comPatch / commit
www.exploit-db.comProof of Concept
helpx.adobe.comPatchVendor Advisory
lists.opensuse.orgBroken LinkThird Party Advisory
lists.opensuse.orgBroken LinkThird Party Advisory
lists.opensuse.orgBroken LinkThird Party Advisory
lists.opensuse.orgBroken LinkThird Party Advisory
rhn.redhat.comThird Party Advisory
www.securitytracker.comBroken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
security.gentoo.orgThird Party Advisory
www.exploit-db.comExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.cisa.govUS Government Resource
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-0984 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2016-0984?

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

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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

Exploited in the wildOn CISA’s known-exploited list · agencies must fix by 2022-06-15

A fix existsUpgrade to after 20.0.0.286 or later

Severity 8.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 55.4%

Affects: Flash Player

Remediation

Being exploited — close it fast

Fix this in Flash Player 5 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $890

Get it fixed fast See the full breakdown ↓

This CVE is on CISA’s actively-exploited list, so the clock is real — a vetted specialist can deliver a reviewed fix for your staging environment quickly.

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