CVE-2012-2203
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) before 8.0.14.22, as used in IBM Rational Directory Server, IBM Tivoli Directory Server, and other products, uses the PKCS #12 file format for certificate objects without enforcing file integrity, which makes it easier for remote attackers to spoof SSL servers via vectors involving insertion of an arbitrary root Certification Authority (CA) certificate.
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 Global Security Kit (GSKit) before 8.0.14.22 does not enforce file integrity when parsing PKCS #12 certificate objects, allowing attackers to modify the certificate bundle by inserting an arbitrary root CA certificate and spoof SSL servers.
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<= 8.0.13= 7.0.4.28= 7.0.4.29all versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/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 installed GSKit versionLocate and inspect the GSKit library version on the system. On systems where GSKit is installed, the version is typically reported via the command 'gsk8ver' or by examining the shared library file version metadata.Affected if The installed GSKit version is 8.0.13 or lower, or exactly 7.0.4.28 or 7.0.4.29.
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Check for PKCS #12 certificate files in useSearch the system for .p12 or .pfx file extensions, which are PKCS #12 certificate bundle files. Review configuration files for applications that reference these certificate files.Affected if PKCS #12 certificate files are present and being loaded by GSKit-based applications.
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Determine if affected products are installedCheck for the presence of IBM Rational Directory Server or IBM Tivoli Directory Server installations on the system using system inventory or package management tools.Affected if Either IBM Rational Directory Server or IBM Tivoli Directory Server is installed, as both bundle and use the vulnerable GSKit library.
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Inspect SSL/TLS configuration for GSKit-based applicationsReview the SSL/TLS configuration of applications that rely on GSKit for cryptographic operations, focusing on settings that load certificate trust material from PKCS #12 files.Affected if Applications are configured to load certificates from PKCS #12 files and the underlying GSKit version is within the affected range.
You are affected if your system has GSKit version 8.0.13 or lower, or version 7.0.4.28 or 7.0.4.29, and you use PKCS #12 certificate files or have IBM Rational Directory Server or IBM Tivoli Directory Server installed.
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 GSKit to version 8.0.14.22 or later, and ensure all PKCS #12 certificate files are sourced from trusted, unmodified origins.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-2203 — 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-2012-2203 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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