CVE-2015-3080 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.289 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.188 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.460 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 17.0.0.172, Adobe AIR SDK before 17.0.0.172, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 17.0.0.172 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2025
The CVE-2015-3080 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime environments that affected multiple platform versions across Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. This vulnerability stems from improper memory management practices within the Flash Player runtime, specifically in how it handles object references and memory deallocation processes. The flaw exists in versions prior to 13.0.0.289 for Flash Player 13.x, 14.x through 17.x, and the corresponding Adobe AIR versions before 17.0.0.172, creating a persistent security risk that could be exploited across multiple operating environments.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which categorizes use-after-free conditions as a memory safety issue where a program continues to reference memory after it has been freed. In the context of Adobe Flash Player, this occurs when the runtime fails to properly invalidate object references following memory deallocation, allowing malicious code to manipulate freed memory locations. Attackers can leverage this condition by crafting specially designed Flash content that triggers the vulnerable code path, causing the application to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process. The exploitation mechanism typically involves manipulating object references in a way that causes the application to dereference freed memory, potentially leading to memory corruption and code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-3080 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with a pathway to achieve remote code execution on vulnerable systems. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Flash Player remains widely deployed for multimedia content and web applications. The attack surface is broad due to the extensive use of Flash Player across various web applications, making this vulnerability a prime target for zero-day exploits. Security researchers have mapped this vulnerability to ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which covers the use of scripting languages for execution, as attackers can leverage Flash content to deliver malicious payloads that exploit the underlying memory management flaw.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through patch management processes, ensuring all instances of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR are updated to versions that address the use-after-free condition. The mitigation strategy should include implementing network-based controls such as content filtering to block potentially malicious Flash content, combined with endpoint protection measures that monitor for suspicious memory access patterns. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running vulnerable versions of Adobe Flash Player and AIR, particularly focusing on legacy systems that may not receive automatic updates. The remediation process should also include monitoring for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and endpoint detection systems that can identify indicators of compromise related to memory corruption attacks.