CVE-2015-5133: Adobe Flash Player buffer overflow allows arbitrary code execution

Automated analysis

Generated by VULONE's analysis model from the NVD record, CISA KEV and EPSS data on 20 September 2026. Confidence: high.

critical priorityCVSS 2.0 score of 10 with network vector, no authentication, and complete impact, plus public exploit code and high EPSS, make this a critical risk for unpatched systems.

What it is

Adobe Flash Player, AIR, AIR SDK, and AIR SDK & Compiler contain a memory buffer overflow (CWE-119) reachable via unspecified vectors. Successful exploitation permits arbitrary code execution in the context of the affected process. The flaw is distinct from CVE-2015-5131 and CVE-2015-5132.

Impact

An attacker can execute arbitrary code on the victim's system, potentially leading to full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Attack surface

The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/Au:N indicates the flaw is network-reachable with no authentication and low complexity, consistent with a malicious SWF or web content delivered to the Flash Player. User interaction (opening the content) is implied but not explicitly stated in the record.

Exploitation

Not listed in CISA KEV, but EPSS is 0.50728 (98.9th percentile) and an Exploit-DB entry (37858) exists, indicating public exploit code is available.

What to do

• Upgrade Adobe Flash Player to 18.0.0.232 or later on Windows/OS X, and 11.2.202.508 or later on Linux.
• Upgrade Adobe AIR, AIR SDK, and AIR SDK & Compiler to 18.0.0.199 or later.
• Apply vendor patches from Adobe (APSB15-19) and Linux distributions (Red Hat, openSUSE, Gentoo).
• Disable or remove Flash Player where it is not required, or restrict its use via browser settings and enterprise policy.

Detection

• Monitor for processes spawning from Flash Player or browser plugins with unusual child processes or network connections.
• Inspect network traffic for known exploit delivery patterns or SWF files matching Exploit-DB 37858.
• Review endpoint logs for memory corruption indicators such as crashes in Flash Player or browser plugin processes.
• Use file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized changes to Flash Player binaries or plugin directories.

This assessment is produced automatically and is not human-reviewed. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting on it.