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HIGH · CVSS 8.8 CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability

CVE-2016-0984

Adobe Flash Player and AIR Use-After-Free Vulnerability

Adobe Flash Player and AIR

Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.329 and 19.x and 20.x before 20.0.0.306 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.569 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 20.0.0.260, Adobe AIR SDK before 20.0.0.260, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 20.0.0.260 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0973, CVE-2016-0974, CVE-2016-0975, CVE-2016-0982, and CVE-2016-0983.

CVSS
8.8
HIGH
EPSS
54.5%
30-day exploitation
Ransomware groups
0
recorded exploiting
Published
10 Feb 2016
CWE-416

Exploitation status

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Listed by CISA on 25 May 2022. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 15 June 2022.

EPSS — exploitation probability

FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 54.5%, which is higher than 99% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2016-0984 being exploited by ransomware groups?

No ransomware group in this database is currently recorded as exploiting CVE-2016-0984.

What does CVE-2016-0984 affect?

CVE-2016-0984 affects Adobe Flash Player and AIR. Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.329 and 19.x and 20.x before 20.0.0.306 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.569 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 20.0.0.260, Adobe AIR SDK before 20.0.0.260, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 20.0.0.260 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0973, CVE-2016-0974, CVE-2016-0975, CVE-2016-0982, and CVE-2016-0983.

How severe is CVE-2016-0984?

CVE-2016-0984 is rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 8.8. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 54.5%, higher than 99% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 15 June 2022.

How should organisations respond to CVE-2016-0984?

Apply the vendor patch for Adobe Flash Player and AIR as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.