CVE-2012-3524
libdbus 1.5.x and earlier, when used in setuid or other privileged programs in X.org and possibly other products, allows local users to gain privileges and execute arbitrary code via the DBUS_SYSTEM_BUS_ADDRESS environment variable.
Does this matter?
A public exploit is published in Exploit-DB, so the technical barrier is gone even though the severity is medium and EPSS is 4.5%. Treat it as high on anything reachable from the internet.
Description
libdbus 1.5.x and earlier, when used in setuid or other privileged programs in X.org and possibly other products, allows local users to gain privileges and execute arbitrary code via the DBUS_SYSTEM_BUS_ADDRESS environment variable. NOTE: libdbus maintainers state that this is a vulnerability in the applications that do not cleanse environment variables, not in libdbus itself: "we do not support use of libdbus in setuid binaries that do not sanitize their environment before their first call into libdbus."
- CVSS 2.0
- 6.9 MEDIUMAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
- EPSS
- 4.48% probability · 91th percentile
- Public exploits
- 1 in Exploit-DB · first 17 July 2012
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-264
- Affected
- freedesktop/libdbus
- Source
- secalert@redhat.com
EPSS 4.5% since 26 October 2026; no change recorded yet. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
Public exploits (1)
Entries in Exploit-DB that cite this CVE. Links go to the Exploit-DB page and to the file in the public repository; nothing is hosted here. A verified tick means the Exploit-DB team confirmed the exploit works against the stated version.
References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-09/msg00009.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-09/msg00015.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-10/msg00000.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2012-10/msg00094.html
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-1261.html
- http://secunia.com/advisories/50537Vendor Advisory
- http://secunia.com/advisories/50544
- http://secunia.com/advisories/50710
- http://stealth.openwall.net/null/dzug.cExploit
- http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/21323Exploit
- http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2013:070
- http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2013:083
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/07/10/4
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/07/26/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/12/6
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/14/2
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/17/2
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/55517Exploit
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1576-1
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1576-2
- https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=52202Patch
- https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=697105
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=847402
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-09/msg00009.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-09/msg00015.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-10/msg00000.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2012-10/msg00094.html
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-1261.html
- http://secunia.com/advisories/50537Vendor Advisory
- http://secunia.com/advisories/50544
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.