The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Adobe’s emergency July 8, 2015 Flash Player update addressed CVE-2015-5119, a critical use-after-free flaw whose exploit material was exposed in data taken from the surveillance-software company Hacking Team. The vulnerability could let malicious Flash content execute code or cause a denial of service. The incident is now historical: Flash Player is end-of-life, and CISA says any impacted installation still in use should be disconnected.
What was the Hacking Team Flash Player zero-day?
CVE-2015-5119 was a use-after-free vulnerability in the ByteArray class of Flash Player’s ActionScript 3 implementation. In a use-after-free, software releases a block of memory but later continues to use it. Malicious Flash content could exploit that mistake to corrupt memory, potentially execute arbitrary code, or cause a denial of service. The NIST National Vulnerability Database record identifies the flaw and notes that it was exploited in the wild in July 2015.
The exploit material was associated with data taken from Hacking Team. The available reporting establishes that connection, but not the exact provenance of a particular exploit file or who first made it public.
What did Adobe patch in July 2015?
On July 8, 2015, Adobe issued an emergency Flash Player update. Contemporaneous reporting identified version 18.0.0.203 as the patch release; US-CERT’s advisory that day directed users and administrators to Adobe Security Bulletin APSB15-16 and advised them to apply the necessary updates. The original Adobe bulletin link now redirects to a page about discontinued products, so the version number is supported here by dated reporting rather than a currently accessible Adobe bulletin.
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The historical patch closed the reported vulnerability at the time. It does not make a Flash installation safe or supported today.
Which Flash Player versions were affected?
Version bounds differed by operating system and distribution channel. NVD lists affected versions through 18.0.0.194 for Windows and OS X, and through 11.2.202.468 for Linux. CERT-FR’s July 2015 alert gives additional platform and channel-specific bounds, including Linux installations bundled with Google Chrome. These records should not be collapsed into a single version range.
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| Source and scope | Affected versions listed |
|---|---|
| NVD: Windows and OS X | Through 18.0.0.194 |
| NVD: Linux | Through 11.2.202.468 |
| CERT-FR: Windows and Macintosh | 18.0.0.203 and earlier |
| CERT-FR: Linux installed with Google Chrome | 18.0.0.204 and earlier |
| CERT-FR: ESR channels | Separate ESR bounds are listed in the alert; the exact values vary by platform and alert revision |
The NVD and CERT-FR figures reflect different product channels and alert context. They are historical affected-version lists, not a guide for installing or updating Flash now. See the NVD record and CERT-FR alert for their respective details.
NIST’s CVSS 3.1 base score for CVE-2015-5119 is 9.8, rated Critical. This is the score recorded for the vulnerability, not a measure of how many people were affected.
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Was CVE-2015-5119 the only Flash zero-day tied to the leak?
No. CERT-FR’s alert describes additional Flash zero-days discovered after the Hacking Team data exfiltration. It added CVE-2015-5123 on July 13, 2015, and closed the alert on July 20. Those issues had their own CVE identifiers and bulletin timelines; they should not be treated as part of CVE-2015-5119.
How widely was the exploit used?
Microsoft’s 2016 Security Intelligence Report, Volume 20, says exploits targeting CVE-2015-5119 were the most commonly encountered Flash Player exploits in the second half of 2015 among detections and blocks by Microsoft’s real-time antimalware products. That describes Microsoft’s telemetry, not worldwide infection rates. The report’s available text does not provide an exact count or percentage, so a precise prevalence figure cannot be stated.
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Is Adobe Flash Player still safe to use?
No. Flash Player is end-of-life. CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog includes CVE-2015-5119 and says the impacted product is end-of-life and should be disconnected if still in use. Do not seek out an old installer or rely on the 2015 patch as present-day protection. If Flash remains on a system, follow CISA’s guidance and disconnect that installation; use software and content formats that are currently supported instead.
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