CVE-2012-2187
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 · uneditedIBM Remote Supervisor Adapter II firmware for System x3650, x3850 M2, and x3950 M2 1.13 and earlier generates weak RSA keys, which makes it easier for attackers to defeat cryptographic protection mechanisms via unspecified vectors.
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 confidenceIBM Remote Supervisor Adapter II firmware versions 1.13 and earlier for System x3650, x3850 M2, and x3950 M2 servers contains a flaw where the firmware generates cryptographically weak RSA keys. This weakness allows attackers to potentially factor or derive the private key from the public key, defeating cryptographic protections used by the remote management interface.
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<= 1.13= 1.0= 1.1= 1.2= 1.3= 1.4= 1.5= 1.6= 1.7= 1.8= 1.9= 1.10CVSS 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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Identify the server modelCheck the server model number on the physical chassis label, in BIOS, or via IPMI command: ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IP> -U <user> -P <pass> chassis statusAffected if The server is not a System x3650, x3850 M2, or x3950 M2, then this CVE does not apply
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Access the RSA II firmware versionLog into the IBM Remote Supervisor Adapter II web interface (https://<RSA-II-IP>) or use IPMI command: ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IP> -U <user> -P <pass> raw 0x32 0x66 0x01Affected if Unable to retrieve firmware version indicates RSA II may not be present or accessible
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Compare firmware version to affected rangeLocate the firmware version displayed in the RSA II web interface under 'Firmware Information' or in the IPMI output and compare to versions 1.13 or lowerAffected if Firmware version is 1.13, 1.12, 1.11, 1.10, 1.9, 1.8, 1.7, 1.6, 1.5, 1.4, 1.3, 1.2, 1.1, or 1.0 - the system is affected by weak RSA key generation
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Verify RSA II remote management is enabledCheck in RSA II web interface under 'Remote Supervisor Adapter II' > 'Network Settings' or use IPMI command: ipmitool -I lanplus -H <IP> -U <user> -P <pass> raw 0x32 0x64Affected if RSA II remote management interface is active and accessible over the network, exposing the weak keys to potential attackers
The server is affected if it is a System x3650, x3850 M2, or x3950 M2 with IBM Remote Supervisor Adapter II firmware version 1.13 or earlier and the RSA II remote management interface is enabled and accessible on the network.
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 dataUpdate IBM Remote Supervisor Adapter II firmware to a version newer than 1.14 or latest available from IBM. Verify the replacement keys generated after the update are of sufficient key length (minimum 2048-bit RSA recommended).
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-2187 — 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-2012-2187 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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