CVE-2006-6682
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedPedro Lineu Orso chetcpasswd 2.3.3 provides a different error message when a request with a valid username fails, compared to a request with an invalid username, which allows remote attackers to determine valid usernames on the system.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe chetcpasswd 2.3.3 application returns distinct error messages when password change requests fail for valid usernames versus invalid usernames. An attacker can exploit this difference to enumerate valid user accounts on the system by observing which error message is returned for various usernames.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 2.3.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate chetcpasswd installationSearch for chetcpasswd files on the system using commands like 'find / -name "chetcpasswd*" 2>/dev/null' or check common cgi-bin directories such as /var/www/cgi-bin/ or /usr/lib/cgi-bin/Affected if chetcpasswd is found on the system
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Identify installed versionCheck the version by viewing the chetcpasswd script or CGI file for version strings, or use package management commands if installed via package managerAffected if version is 2.3.3 or if the file contains version 2.3.3 metadata
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Test password change with valid usernameAccess the chetcpasswd web interface and attempt a password change for a username you know exists, using an incorrect current password. Note the exact error message returned.Affected if a specific error message is returned for valid usernames (such as indicating the current password is incorrect)
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Test password change with invalid usernameAttempt a password change for a clearly non-existent username. Use any password. Note the exact error message returned.Affected if a different error message is returned for invalid usernames compared to step 3
If different error messages are returned in steps 3 and 4, the system is vulnerable to username enumeration via CVE-2006-6682.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataStandardize error messages so that identical messages are returned for both valid and invalid usernames during failed password change attempts, preventing username enumeration.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2006-6682 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2006-6682 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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