CVE-2012-2212
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 · uneditedMcAfee Web Gateway 7.0 allows remote attackers to bypass the access configuration for the CONNECT method by providing an arbitrary allowed hostname in the Host HTTP header. NOTE: this issue might not be reproducible, because the researcher did not provide configuration details for the vulnerable system, and the observed behavior might be consistent with a configuration that was (perhaps inadvertently) designed to allow access based on Host HTTP headers
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 · moderate confidenceMcAfee Web Gateway 7.0 contains a vulnerability where the CONNECT method access controls can be bypassed by providing an arbitrary allowed hostname in the Host HTTP header. This allows attackers to potentially route traffic through the proxy to unauthorized destinations by manipulating the Host header to match an allowed domain. The vulnerability's reproducibility is uncertain as it may depend on specific gateway configurations.
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= 7.0.0CVSS 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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Confirm McAfee Web Gateway installation and versionLocate the McAfee Web Gateway installation and check the installed version number. Common locations include /opt/mwg or checking the product via the management interface or system inventory.Affected if The installed version is exactly 7.0.0 (only this specific version is affected)
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Verify CONNECT method proxy functionality is enabledCheck the Web Gateway proxy configuration to determine if the CONNECT method is enabled for HTTPS proxying. This is typically found in proxy listener settings or forwarding rules.Affected if CONNECT method handling is enabled and the proxy accepts CONNECT requests
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Review CONNECT method access control policyExamine the access control rules or policies applied to the CONNECT method. Look for rules that control which destinations the proxy can connect to on behalf of clients.Affected if Access controls exist but rely primarily on the Host HTTP header for destination validation rather than validating the actual target IP/hostname
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Check for Host header-based destination allowlistInspect the proxy configuration for any allowlists or rules that permit specific hostnames or domains for CONNECT requests. Determine if these rules match against the Host header without additional verification.Affected if An allowlist of allowed hostnames exists and is enforced based on the Host header value alone
A user is affected if they run McAfee Web Gateway version 7.0.0 with CONNECT method access controls that validate destinations using only the Host HTTP header rather than the actual connection target.
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 dataReview and strengthen CONNECT method access control policies in McAfee Web Gateway to validate actual destination addresses rather than relying solely on the Host HTTP header, and ensure configuration aligns with intended security policy.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-2212 — 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-2012-2212 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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