CVE-2015-7645 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player 18.x through 18.0.0.252 and 19.x through 19.0.0.207 on Windows and OS X and 11.x through 11.2.202.535 on Linux allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted SWF file, as exploited in the wild in October 2015.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2026
Adobe Flash Player versions 18.x through 18.0.0.252 and 19.x through 19.0.0.207 on Windows and OS X, along with version 11.x through 11.2.202.535 on Linux, contained a critical remote code execution vulnerability that enabled attackers to execute arbitrary code through maliciously crafted SWF files. This vulnerability represented a significant security flaw in Adobe's multimedia platform that had widespread impact across numerous systems and organizations. The flaw allowed remote attackers to bypass security restrictions and gain unauthorized access to affected systems through the exploitation of a memory corruption issue within the Flash Player runtime environment. The vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild during October 2015, demonstrating its severity and the immediate threat it posed to users and enterprises relying on Flash content.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and memory handling within the Flash Player's ActionScript execution environment. When processing specially crafted SWF files, the player failed to properly validate certain data structures, leading to memory corruption that could be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the Flash Player. This type of vulnerability typically falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption and privilege escalation. The exploitation process involved crafting SWF files containing malicious code that would trigger the buffer overflow or memory corruption when loaded by the vulnerable Flash Player version, allowing attackers to execute commands on the target system without user interaction.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-7645 was substantial across enterprise environments and individual users alike, as Flash Player was widely deployed across web browsers and applications throughout the computing ecosystem. Organizations that had not yet migrated away from Flash-based content were particularly vulnerable, as the attack vector required no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website or opening an infected email attachment containing Flash content. This vulnerability enabled attackers to establish persistent access to compromised systems, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, and further lateral movement within networks. The attack surface was extensive given Flash Player's integration with web browsers and its widespread use across multiple operating systems including Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability needed to implement immediate mitigation strategies to protect their systems from exploitation attempts. The primary recommended action was to update to the latest version of Adobe Flash Player that contained patches for this vulnerability, which was available through Adobe's official security updates. Security administrators should have also implemented network-based mitigations such as blocking access to Flash content through firewall rules or content filtering solutions. Additionally, user education and awareness programs were essential to prevent users from visiting malicious websites or opening suspicious email attachments containing SWF files. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date software and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to reduce the attack surface. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability mapped to techniques involving exploitation of known vulnerabilities and privilege escalation, with potential for lateral movement once initial access was achieved through the remote code execution capability.