CVE-2015-8415

Vulnerability

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Adobe Flash Player, affecting versions prior to 18.0.0.268, 19.x and 20.x prior to 20.0.0.228 on Windows and OS X, and prior to 11.2.202.554 on Linux. It also affects Adobe AIR, AIR SDK, and AIR SDK & Compiler versions before 20.0.0.204. The flaw is reachable via unspecified vectors, typically involving crafted SWF content that triggers a memory corruption condition in the Flash renderer [1].

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by delivering a malicious SWF file to a targeted user, who must be using an affected version of Flash Player or AIR. The attack requires no authentication and can be conducted remotely over the web or via email attachments. The exact exploitation steps are not detailed in the available references, but the unspecified vectors suggest that successful exploitation involves triggering the buffer overflow through specially crafted data [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code within the security context of the user running Flash Player or AIR. This can lead to full system compromise, including data theft, installation of malware, or further network attacks. The impact is rated as critical, with a CVSS score of 10.0 per the CVE header [1].

Mitigation

Adobe released fixed versions: Flash Player 20.0.0.228 (or 18.0.0.268 for older branches) and AIR 20.0.0.204. The Gentoo Linux advisory recommends upgrading to >=www-plugins/adobe-flash-11.2.202.559. The vendor has released patches; users should update immediately. No workaround is available [1].