CVE-2015-5119
Use-after-free vulnerability in the ByteArray class in the ActionScript 3 (AS3) implementation in Adobe Flash Player 13.x through 13.0.0.296 and 14.x through 18.0.0.194 on Windows and OS X and 11.x through 11.2.202.468 on Linux allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via crafted Flash content that overrides a valueOf function, as exploited in the wild in July 2015.
- CVSS
- 9.8Critical
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes, in CISA KEV since 3 Mar 2022CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 24 Mar 2022public exploit code
- EPSS
- 98.6%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 0.1% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
- Published
- 8 Jul 2015analysed here 12 Nov 2026
Do first. The impacted product is end-of-life and should be disconnected if still in use. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)
Summary
Triage
The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.
Affected products
Products named in our analysis
- adobe:flash_player
- redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop
- redhat:enterprise_linux_eus
- redhat:enterprise_linux_server
- redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus
- redhat:enterprise_linux_server_from_rhui
- redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation
- opensuse:evergreen
- opensuse:opensuse
- suse:linux_enterprise_desktop
- suse:linux_enterprise_workstation_extension
Fix and mitigation
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? No. This is a use-after-free memory bug. Generic WAF rules do not recognise the input that triggers it; only a rule written for this specific CVE can, and only if the triggering request has a recognisable shape.
Also consider: patch
Based on the weakness type only; no CVE-specific evidence yet. We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Remediation steps (AI-written)
Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
Exploitation evidence
- CISA KEV catalog
- Listed since 3 Mar 2022.
- CISA due date
- 24 Mar 2022, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- CISA required action
- The impacted product is end-of-life and should be disconnected if still in use.
- Public exploit code
- Yes: 1 on Exploit-DB · 1 Metasploit module · 3 GitHub proofs of concept
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 17 Nov 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Exploit-DB
- Adobe Flash Player - ByteArray Use-After-Free (Metasploit)remote, 8 Jul 2015, verified by Exploit-DB
Metasploit
- exploit/multi/browser/adobe_flash_hacking_team_uafexploit, rank great
GitHub proofs of concept
- CiscoCXSecurity/CVE-2015-5119_walkthrough12 stars
- jvazquez-r7/CVE-2015-511911 stars
- dangokyo/CVE-2015-51193 stars
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
Timeline
- 8 Jul 2015First public exploit or proof of concept
- 8 Jul 2015Published1 day later
- 3 Mar 2022Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)2,429 days (about 7 years) later
- 24 Mar 2022CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)21 days later
- 17 Nov 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active1,335 days (about 4 years) later
- 17 Nov 2025CVE record last updatedsame day later
- 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com360 days (about 12 months) later
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | NetworkReachable over the internet or any routable network. | Reachable over the internet or any routable network. |
| Attack complexity | LowRepeatable attack, no special conditions. | Repeatable attack, no special conditions. |
| Privileges required | NoneThe attacker needs no prior access. | The attacker needs no prior access. |
| User interaction | NoneNo victim action needed. | No victim action needed. |
| Scope | UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component. | Impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality | HighTotal data disclosure possible. | Total data disclosure possible. |
| Integrity | HighComplete modification possible. | Complete modification possible. |
| Availability | HighFull outage possible. | Full outage possible. |
Common questions
Is CVE-2015-5119 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2015-5119 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2015-5119?
CVE-2015-5119 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2015-5119?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2015-5119. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2015-5119 affect?
CVE-2015-5119 affects adobe:flash_player, redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop, redhat:enterprise_linux_eus, redhat:enterprise_linux_server, and 7 further products or versions. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
References
18 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Advisories (8)
- lists.opensuse.org /opensuse-security-announce/2015-07/msg00015.html
- us-cert.gov /ncas/alerts/TA15-195A
- lists.opensuse.org /opensuse-security-announce/2015-07/msg00017.html
- rhn.redhat.com /errata/RHSA-2015-1214.html
- lists.opensuse.org /opensuse-security-announce/2015-07/msg00018.html
- security.gentoo.org /glsa/201507-13
Show 2 more
- kb.cert.org /vuls/id/561288
- lists.opensuse.org /opensuse-security-announce/2015-07/msg00016.html
Other links (10)
- securitytracker.com /id/1032809
- securityfocus.com /bid/75568
- rapid7.com /db/modules/exploit/multi/browser/adobe_flash_hacking_team_uaf
- helpx.adobe.com /security/products/flash-player/apsa15-03.html
- helpx.adobe.com /security/products/flash-player/apsb15-16.html
- packetstormsecurity.com /files/132600/Adobe-Flash-Player-ByteArray-Use-After-Free.html
Show 4 more
- blog.trendmicro.com /trendlabs-security-intelligence/unpatched-flash-player-flaws-more-pocs-found-in
- twitter.com /w3bd3vil/statuses/618168863708962816
- cisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2015-5119
- github.com /cisagov/vulnrichment/issues/196
Where the data on this page comes from
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Exploit-DB: published exploits
- Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
- PoC-in-GitHub: GitHub repositories that claim a proof of concept
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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