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CVE-2012-4409

Status: ModifiedMedium (6.8)—Exploit
Severity6.8Medium · CVSS 2.0
Exploitation probability15 %higher than 97% of CVEs
Active exploitationNonot in the CISA catalog
Public exploitAvailablePublished on Exploit-DB

Stack-based buffer overflow in the check_file_head function in extra.c in mcrypt 2.6.8 and earlier allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an encrypted file with a crafted header containing long salt data that is not properly handled during decryption.

CVSS

Base score
6.8
Version
2.0
Vector
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Exploitation probability (EPSS)

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
15 %
Percentile among all scored CVEs
97
Score date
11/2/2026

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).

Public exploits

Exploit code or detection templates are publicly available. This is not the same as confirmed active exploitation (KEV), but it raises the risk: patch with priority.

Affected technologies (1)

Mcrypt — Mcrypt

CWEs

References

Show 18 references

Raw JSON (NVD)

Show
{
  "id": "CVE-2012-4409",
  "cveTags": [],
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        "source": "nvd@nist.gov",
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          "accessVector": "NETWORK",
          "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P",
          "authentication": "NONE",
          "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL",
          "accessComplexity": "MEDIUM",
          "availabilityImpact": "PARTIAL",
          "confidentialityImpact": "PARTIAL"
        },
        "acInsufInfo": false,
        "impactScore": 6.4,
        "baseSeverity": "MEDIUM",
        "obtainAllPrivilege": false,
        "exploitabilityScore": 8.6,
        "obtainUserPrivilege": false,
        "obtainOtherPrivilege": false,
        "userInteractionRequired": true
      }
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  },
  "affected": [
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      "source": "secalert@redhat.com",
      "affectedData": [
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          "vendor": "n/a",
          "product": "n/a",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "n/a"
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  ],
  "published": "2012-11-21T23:55:01.757",
  "references": [
    {
      "url": "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-September/086519.html",
      "source": "secalert@redhat.com"
    },
    {
      "url": "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-September/087542.html",
      "source": "secalert@redhat.com"
    },
    {
      "url": "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-September/088281.html",
      "source": "secalert@redhat.com"
    },
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      "url": "http://packetstormsecurity.org/files/116268/mcrypt-2.6.8-Buffer-Overflow-Proof-Of-Concept.html",
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    },
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      "tags": [
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      "source": "secalert@redhat.com"
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    {
      "url": "http://secunia.com/advisories/51010",
      "source": "secalert@redhat.com"
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    {
      "url": "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/06/4",
      "source": "secalert@redhat.com"
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      "source": "secalert@redhat.com"
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      "url": "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=855029",
      "source": "secalert@redhat.com"
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      "url": "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-September/086519.html",
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      "source": "af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"
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      "url": "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=855029",
      "source": "af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"
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  ],
  "vulnStatus": "Modified",
  "weaknesses": [
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      "type": "Primary",
      "source": "nvd@nist.gov",
      "description": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "CWE-119"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "descriptions": [
    {
      "lang": "en",
      "value": "Stack-based buffer overflow in the check_file_head function in extra.c in mcrypt 2.6.8 and earlier allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an encrypted file with a crafted header containing long salt data that is not properly handled during decryption."
    },
    {
      "lang": "es",
      "value": "Desbordamiento de búfer basado en pila en la función de check_file_head en extra.c en mcrypt v2.6.8 y anteriores permite a atacantes remotos asistidos por el usuario ejecutar código arbitrario a través de un archivo cifrado con una cabecera diseñada con datos largos salt que no se utilizan con cuidado durante el descifrado."
    }
  ],
  "lastModified": "2026-06-16T23:44:57.773",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "nodes": [
        {
          "negate": false,
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              "versionEndIncluding": "2.6.8"
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  "sourceIdentifier": "secalert@redhat.com"
}