Adobe Flash Player 21.0.0.197 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbit
Adobe Flash Player 21.0.0.197 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, as exploited in the wild in April 2016.
- Published
- Apr 7, 2016
- Updated
- Aug 14, 2026
- EPSS
- 22.3% · 98th percentile
- CWE
- —
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Action score
76
This week
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- CVSS
- 39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 30 / 30 · Listed
- EPSS
- 7 / 30 · 22.3%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- active
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
Actively exploited in the wild
CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Mar 3, 2022. That signals real attacks, not theory.
Remediation deadline for government agencies: Mar 24, 2022.
Known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| adobe | flash player desktop runtime | cpe:2.3:a:adobe:flash_player_desktop_runtime |
| adobe | flash player | cpe:2.3:a:adobe:flash_player |
| adobe | air desktop runtime | cpe:2.3:a:adobe:air_desktop_runtime |
| adobe | air sdk | cpe:2.3:a:adobe:air_sdk |
| adobe | air sdk \& compiler | cpe:2.3:a:adobe:air_sdk_\&_compiler |
| apple | mac os x | cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x |
| microsoft | windows | cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows |
| chrome os | cpe:2.3:o:google:chrome_os | |
| linux | linux kernel | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel |
| microsoft | windows 10 | cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10 |
| microsoft | windows 8.1 | cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_8.1 |
| apple | iphone os | cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os |
and 1 more
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- adobe air desktop runtimeup to 21.0.0.176 inclusive
- adobe air sdkup to 21.0.0.176 inclusive
- adobe air sdk & compilerup to 21.0.0.176 inclusive
- adobe flash playerup to 11.2.202.577 inclusive
- adobe flash playerup to 18.0.0.333 inclusive
- adobe flash playerup to 21.0.0.197 inclusive
- adobe flash player desktop runtimeup to 21.0.0.197 inclusive
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:5::client | flash-plugin | before 0:11.2.202.616-1.el5 | 0:11.2.202.616-1.el5 |
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:6 | flash-plugin | before 0:11.2.202.616-1.el6_7 | 0:11.2.202.616-1.el6_7 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 | flash-player | before 11.2.202.616-126.1 | 11.2.202.616-126.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 | flash-player | before 11.2.202.621-130.1 | 11.2.202.621-130.1 |
Same product
adobe: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2016-7892Adobe Flash Player versions 23.0.0.207 and earlier, 11.2.202.644 and earlier have an exploitable use after free vulnerability in the TextFieKEV71This week
- CVE-2018-5002Adobe Flash Player versions 29.0.0.171 and earlier have a Stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability.KEV69This week
- CVE-2017-11292Adobe Flash Player version 27.0.0.159 and earlier has a flawed bytecode verification procedure, which allows for an untrusted value to be usKEV69This week
- CVE-2016-4231Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.366 and 19.x through 22.x before 22.0.0.209 on Windows and OS X and before 45Plan
- CVE-2016-4230Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.366 and 19.x through 22.x before 22.0.0.209 on Windows and OS X and before 45Plan
- CVE-2016-4229Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.366 and 19.x through 22.x before 22.0.0.209 on Windows and OS X and before 45Plan
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| red hat:flash-plugin | 0:11.2.202.616-1.el5 · Red Hat:rhel_extras:5::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:flash-player | 11.2.202.616-126.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
Weaponized
A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Published
- CISA KEV+2156 d
- TodaySep 30, 2026+3828 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
—
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- blogs.adobe.com/psirt/?p=1330
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-04/msg00009.html
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-04/msg00010.html
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-04/msg00012.html
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-04/msg00055.html
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-05/msg00044.html
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-05/msg00045.html
- rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-0610.html
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/85856
- www.securitytracker.com/id/1035491
- docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2016/ms16-050
- helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsa16-01.html
- helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb16-10.html
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/201606-08
- www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2016/04/cve-2016-1019_a_new.html
- github.com/cisagov/vulnrichment/issues/196
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2016-1019
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.