Cyber Resilience

CVE-2012-1535

Adobe Flash Player ≤ 11.3.300.271

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD Exploited
Published
15 August 2012
Modified
22 April 2026
KEV Added
03 March 2022
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.70 99.3th percentile
Risk Priority 83 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2012-1535 is a high-severity Improper Input Validation (CWE-20) vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 0.7% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2012-1535 is an unspecified vulnerability affecting Adobe Flash Player versions before 11.3.300.271 on Windows and Mac OS X and before 11.2.202.238 on Linux. It stems from flaws in input validation and code generation (CWE-20 and CWE-94) when processing SWF content, enabling memory corruption that can be triggered by malformed files.

Remote attackers can exploit the issue by serving crafted SWF content to victims, achieving arbitrary code execution or denial of service through an application crash. The vulnerability was observed in active exploitation in August 2012, where attackers embedded malicious SWF data inside a Microsoft Word document to target end users who opened the file with an affected Flash Player installed.

Advisories from vendors including openSUSE, Red Hat, and Gentoo direct administrators to apply the corresponding Flash Player updates referenced in their security announcements (such as RHSA-2012-1203) to eliminate the exposure. The flaw received a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8, reflecting its local attack vector combined with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability when successfully triggered by a user opening untrusted content.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Unspecified vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 11.3.300.271 on Windows and Mac OS X and before 11.2.202.238 on Linux allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via crafted SWF content, as exploited…

more

in the wild in August 2012 with SWF content in a Word document.

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
03 March 2022

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.002 AppleScript Execution
Adversaries may abuse AppleScript for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.005 Visual Basic Execution
Adversaries may abuse Visual Basic (VB) for execution.
T1059.006 Python Execution
Adversaries may abuse Python commands and scripts for execution.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-3910Same product: Linux Linux Kernelboth on KEV
CVE-2023-22952Shared CWE-20, CWE-94both on KEV
CVE-2023-41179Same product: Microsoft Windowsboth on KEV
CVE-2022-22954Same product: Linux Linux Kernelboth on KEV
CVE-2026-34197Shared CWE-20, CWE-94both on KEV
CVE-2022-2856Same product: Linux Linux Kernelboth on KEV
CVE-2013-3906Same vendor: Microsoftboth on KEV
CVE-2009-0556Same vendor: Microsoftboth on KEV
CVE-2015-1635Same vendor: Microsoftboth on KEV
CVE-2012-0158Same vendor: Microsoftboth on KEV

Affected Assets

adobe
flash player
≤ 11.3.300.271 · ≤ 11.2.202.238
redhat
enterprise linux desktop
5.0
redhat
enterprise linux server
5.0
redhat
enterprise linux workstation
5.0
opensuse
opensuse
11.4, 12.1
suse
linux enterprise desktop
10

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 6 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.3.1

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-20 CWE-94

Directly implements checks on information inputs to reject invalid data before processing.

addresses: CWE-20

Security testing and developer training directly verify and enforce proper input validation, reducing exploitability of injection and malformed-data weaknesses.

addresses: CWE-20

Security testing and evaluation at multiple SDLC stages directly detects missing or flawed input validation, with the required remediation process ensuring fixes are applied.

addresses: CWE-94

Makes persistent code injection into loaded programs impossible when the executable image itself resides on hardware-protected read-only media.

addresses: CWE-94

Dynamically generated code can be produced and executed inside the isolated chamber, preventing host compromise from code-injection payloads.

addresses: CWE-94

Directly prevents execution of attacker-supplied code written into data memory regions.

addresses: CWE-20

Spam protection mechanisms perform filtering and detection on inbound/outbound messages, directly compensating for missing or weak input validation of unsolicited content.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require and enforce input validation during development.

PR.DS-10 none match
prevents

PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Testing against a defined set of requirements and using code review plus vulnerability scanning forces validation of inputs and handling of unanticipated conditions, reducing the chance that malformed data will be accepted.

prevents

Secure-coding guidelines and mandatory security testing (including code scans) compel developers to validate and sanitize inputs at design and implementation time, lowering the incidence of malformed or malicious data reaching downstream components.

prevents

Mandating input controls that include integrity checks and input validation ensures that untrusted data is examined before use, blocking the root cause of many injection and malformed-data weaknesses.

prevents

Security-by-design principles explicitly call for data validation and sanitization at every layer, reducing the chance that malformed or malicious input will be processed without scrutiny.

prevents

Requiring language-specific secure coding standards, peer review, SAST and documented mitigation of common programming errors forces validation of all inputs before they are trusted.

none

Regular automated validation of system software and data content, combined with scanning of all inbound files, enforces input validation at the boundary before untrusted content is processed.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

RHEL 8 (1 rule)
  • V-230265 RHEL 8 must prevent the installation of software, patches, service packs, device drivers, or operating system components of local packages without verification they have been digitally signed using a certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is recognized and approved by the organization. prevents CWE-20

References