CVE-2012-2190
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 Global Security Kit (aka GSKit), as used in IBM HTTP Server in IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 6.1.x before 6.1.0.45, 7.0.x before 7.0.0.25, 8.0.x before 8.0.0.4, and 8.5.x before 8.5.0.1, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via a crafted ClientHello message in the TLS Handshake Protocol.
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 confidenceA denial of service vulnerability exists in IBM Global Security Kit (GSKit) when processing a specially crafted ClientHello message during the TLS Handshake Protocol. The malformed TLS handshake causes the IBM HTTP Server daemon to crash, resulting in service unavailability.
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= 6.1.0= 6.1.0.0= 6.1.0.1= 6.1.0.2= 6.1.0.3= 6.1.0.5= 6.1.0.7= 6.1.0.9= 6.1.0.11= 6.1.0.12= 6.1.0.15= 6.1.0.17CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
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 WebSphere Application Server versionRun the versionInfo script in the bin directory of the WebSphere installation: ./versionInfo.sh (Unix) or versionInfo.bat (Windows). Look for the 'Version' field in the output.Affected if The installed version matches any of these: 6.1.0, 6.1.0.0, 6.1.0.1, 6.1.0.2, 6.1.0.3, 6.1.0.5, 6.1.0.7, 6.1.0.9, 6.1.0.11, 6.1.0.12, 6.1.0.15, or 6.1.0.17
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Verify SSL/TLS is enabledCheck the WebSphere administration console or the server.xml configuration file for SSL-enabled connectors. Look for SSL configurations in the [WAS_HOME]/profiles/[profile]/config/cells/[cell]/nodes/[node]/servers/[server] directory.Affected if SSL or TLS is configured and enabled on any listener port (typically 443, 9443, or custom SSL ports).
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Confirm GSKit is the SSL providerCheck the WebSphere SSL configuration to verify GSKit is being used. In the admin console, go to SSL certificate and key management > SSL configurations > [configuration] > SSL protocol. The provider should be set to IBM (GSKit).Affected if The SSL configuration uses IBM GSKit as the SSL provider.
You are affected if your WebSphere Application Server version is 6.1.0.x (matching the affected versions) AND SSL/TLS is enabled using the GSKit library.
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 IBM WebSphere Application Server to version 6.1.0.45, 7.0.0.25, 8.0.0.4, or 8.5.0.1 or later, which contains the patched GSKit library.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-2190 — 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-2012-2190 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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