CVE-2015-7645: Adobe Flash Player Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability
What It Is — Adobe Flash Player contains a remote code execution flaw that can be triggered by a malicious SWF file.
Exploitability — Public exploits have been observed in the wild; the vulnerability scores 8.8 (CVSS v3 – High) and is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
Affected Products — All Adobe Flash Player versions prior to the security update released in July 2015.
Why It Matters for Trust & Control Assurance
- Patch Management Evidence – Demonstrating that you have a documented, repeatable process for applying critical updates is a core control that satisfies multiple frameworks (e.g., NIST CSF Identify & Protect).
- Defensible Audit Trail – Maintaining logs of patch deployment and verification provides the evidence auditors expect for “vulnerability remediation” controls.
- Continuous Monitoring – Automated detection of outdated Flash installations helps prove ongoing due‑diligence, a signal of mature security governance that enterprise buyers increasingly demand.
Recommended Actions
- Deploy Adobe’s July 2015 security update (or later) to all endpoints running Flash Player.
- Where feasible, disable or uninstall Flash Player to eliminate the attack surface.
- Update your software‑inventory system and verify remediation status through a centralized patch‑management dashboard.
- Enable endpoint detection and response (EDR) alerts for exploitation attempts against Flash.
Source: CISA KEV – CVE‑2015‑7645