CVE-2015-3246
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2015-3246 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | redhat |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2015-08-11 14:59:07 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-08-27 04:16:36 UTC |
| Description | libuser before 0.56.13-8 and 0.60 before 0.60-7, as used in the userhelper program in the usermode package, directly modifies /etc/passwd, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (inconsistent file state) by causing an error during the modification. NOTE: this issue can be combined with CVE-2015-3245 to gain privileges. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 5.1 MEDIUM from ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS: 0.087990000 probability, percentile 0.948880000 (date 2026-09-15)
CISA KEV: Listed on 2026-08-26; due 2026-09-09; ransomware use Unknown
Problem Types: CWE-264 | CWE-367 | n/a | CWE-367 CWE-367 Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | ADP | DECLARED | 5.1 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
| 3.1 | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | Secondary | 5.1 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
| 2.0 | [email protected] | Primary | 7.2 | AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
LocalAttack Complexity
HighPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
NoneIntegrity
NoneAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS v2.0 Breakdown
Access Vector
LocalAccess Complexity
LowAuthentication
NoneConfidentiality
CompleteIntegrity
CompleteAvailability
CompleteAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability
| Vendor | Red Hat |
|---|---|
| Product | Libuser |
| Name | Red Hat Libuser Race Condition Vulnerability |
| Required Action | Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines. |
| Notes | This vulnerability affects an open-source component, third-party library, protocol, or proprietary implementation that could be used by different products. For more information, please see: https://access.redhat.com/articles/1537873 ; BOD 26-04: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; Forensics Triage Requirements: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-3246 |
NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version | Update | Edition | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | Libuser Project | Libuser | All | All | All | All |
| Operating System | Opensuse | Opensuse | 13.2 | All | All | All |
| Operating System | Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 5.0 | All | All | All |
| Operating System | Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 6.0 | All | All | All |
| Operating System | Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 7.0 | All | All | All |
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | www.cisa.gov | US Government Resource |
| Libuser - 'roothelper' Local Privilege Escalation (Metasploit) - Linux local Exploit | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | www.exploit-db.com | Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry |
| [SECURITY] Fedora 22 Update: libuser-0.62-1.fc22 | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | lists.fedoraproject.org | Broken Link |
| Red Hat Customer Portal | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | rhn.redhat.com | Vendor Advisory |
| libuser CVE-2015-3246 Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | www.securityfocus.com | Third Party Advisory |
| blog.talosintelligence.com/uat-10147-chinese-speaking-adversary-integrates-agentic-ai-in... | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | blog.talosintelligence.com | Third Party Advisory |
| Libuser Bugs Let Local Users Deny Service and Gain Elevated Privileges - SecurityTracker | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | www.securitytracker.com | Third Party Advisory |
| [SECURITY] Fedora 21 Update: libuser-0.62-1.fc21 | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | lists.fedoraproject.org | Broken Link |
| Red Hat Customer Portal | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | rhn.redhat.com | Vendor Advisory |
| [security-announce] openSUSE-SU-2015:1332-1: important: Security update | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | lists.opensuse.org | Mailing List, Third Party Advisory |
| www.qualys.com/2015/07/23/cve-2015-3245-cve-2015-3246/cve-2015-3245-cve-2015... | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | www.qualys.com | Exploit |
| libuser vulnerabilities (CVE-2015-3245 and CVE-2015-3246) - Red Hat Customer Portal | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | access.redhat.com | Mitigation, Vendor Advisory |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
| CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog | CISA | www.cisa.gov | kev |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| ADP | 2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z | CVE-2015-3246 added to CISA KEV |
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.