Analyst readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is an old Adobe Flash Player flaw that can let an attacker run code if a user interacts with malicious Flash content. CISA lists CVE-2016-7892 in KEV, so treat any remaining Flash footprint as a real business risk, not just legacy noise.
Executive priority
High priority for any environment that still has Flash. The product family is legacy, but KEV status means defenders should assume real attacker interest. The practical executive action is to find remaining installs, remove unnecessary Flash, and verify vendor remediation where business dependency remains.
Technical view
CVE-2016-7892 is a CWE-416 use-after-free in Adobe Flash Player's TextField class. The listed affected versions are 23.0.0.207 and earlier, and 11.2.202.644 and earlier. CVSS is 8.8 with network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, and required user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in legacy desktops, browsers, embedded workflows, or managed images that still include affected Flash Player builds. Internet-facing exploitation is not required if users can open attacker-controlled Flash content through web, email, or document-driven workflows.
Exploitation context
Active exploitation is supported by CISA KEV inclusion. The source bundle does not provide campaign details, exploit maturity, or affected organizations. The vulnerability requires user interaction but can result in arbitrary code execution with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Researcher notes
The bundle supports a TextField use-after-free leading to arbitrary code execution, with CVSS UI:R and PR:N. It does not include exploit steps, proof-of-concept detail, patch version specifics, or telemetry beyond CISA KEV status and vendor advisory references.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory systems for Adobe Flash Player versions listed as affected.
- Apply updates from Adobe or platform vendor advisories where Flash remains present.
- Follow Microsoft, Red Hat, SUSE, or Gentoo guidance for managed platform packages.
- Remove or disable Flash where there is no documented business requirement.
- Prioritize remediation on user workstations and browsing-capable legacy systems.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Flash Player versions across endpoint and software inventory sources.
- Check whether affected Flash packages remain on Windows or Linux managed images.
- Review browser and application policies for Flash enablement or legacy exceptions.
- Verify vendor advisory remediation was applied through patch management evidence.
- Track KEV remediation status separately for governance reporting.
Public sources used
Based on public source material and reviewed before publication.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-416: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2016-7892 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- SUSE-SU-2016:3148CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_SUSE
- MS16-154CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_MS
- GLSA-201701-17CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_GENTOO
- 1037442CVE reference · vdb-entry, x_refsource_SECTRACK
- RHSA-2016:2947CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb16-39.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- 94877CVE reference · vdb-entry, x_refsource_BID
- openSUSE-SU-2016:3160CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_SUSE
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2016-7892CVE reference · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.