CVE-2012-0814
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 · uneditedThe auth_parse_options function in auth-options.c in sshd in OpenSSH before 5.7 provides debug messages containing authorized_keys command options, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain potentially sensitive information by reading these messages, as demonstrated by the shared user account required by Gitolite. NOTE: this can cross privilege boundaries because a user account may intentionally have no shell or filesystem access, and therefore may have no supported way to read an authorized_keys file in its own home directory.
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 auth_parse_options function in OpenSSH before 5.7 outputs debug messages that include authorized_keys command options. Any authenticated SSH user can read these debug messages to obtain potentially sensitive information about command restrictions, even for accounts with no shell or filesystem access.
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<= 5.6= 1.2= 1.2.1= 1.2.2= 1.2.3= 1.2.27= 1.3= 1.5= 1.5.7= 1.5.8= 2= 2.1CVSS 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
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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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Check installed OpenSSH versionRun 'sshd -v' or 'sshd -V' to display the version. On many systems, 'dpkg -l openssh-server' (Debian/Ubuntu) or 'rpm -q openssh-server' (RHEL/CentOS) also shows the version.Affected if The installed version is earlier than 5.7 (such as 5.6 or older, or any of the listed vulnerable versions like 1.2 through 2.1)
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Verify debug logging configuration in sshd_configCheck the sshd_config file (typically at /etc/ssh/sshd_config) for 'LogLevel' setting. Run 'grep -i "loglevel" /etc/ssh/sshd_config' to see the current setting.Affected if LogLevel is set to DEBUG, DEBUG1, DEBUG2, or DEBUG3 (any level above INFO), which causes the vulnerable debug messages to be written
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Inspect authorized_keys for command= optionsExamine all authorized_keys files (typically in ~/.ssh/ for each user, or /root/.ssh/authorized_keys for root) for lines containing 'command=' option.Affected if Any authorized_keys entry contains a 'command=' restriction, as this is the sensitive data that gets disclosed in debug messages
You are affected if you run OpenSSH version earlier than 5.7, have debug logging enabled (LogLevel DEBUG*), and use command= options in authorized_keys, allowing any authenticated user to read sensitive command restriction details.
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 dataUpgrade OpenSSH to version 5.7 or later to patch the debug message information disclosure. Alternatively, ensure debug logging is disabled in sshd_config and avoid using command= options in authorized_keys for sensitive multi-user deployments.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-0814 — 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-2012-0814 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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