CVE-2012-2965
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 · uneditedCaucho Quercus, as distributed in Resin before 4.0.29, does not properly handle unspecified characters in the names of variables, which has unknown impact and remote attack vectors, related to an "HTTP Parameter Contamination" issue.
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 confidenceCaucho Quercus (a Java-based PHP implementation) in Resin server before 4.0.29 does not properly sanitize or handle unspecified characters in HTTP parameter names, potentially allowing HTTP Parameter Contamination (HPC) attacks where malicious parameter names could bypass input validation or cause unexpected application behavior.
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<= 4.0.28= 2.0.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2= 2.0.3= 2.0.4= 2.0.5= 2.1.0= 2.1.1= 2.1.2= 2.1.3= 2.1.4CVSS 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.
-
Identify Resin server versionCheck the Resin server version by examining startup logs, version files, or JAR manifest. Common locations: look for 'resin.jar' in the lib directory and check its manifest, or search startup output for version strings. On Linux/Unix, you can also run: find /path/to/resin -name 'resin*.jar' -exec unzip -p {} META-INF/MANIFEST.MF \; 2>/dev/null | grep -i versionAffected if The installed version is Resin 4.0.x at 4.0.28 or lower, or any of these 2.x versions: 2.0.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.1.0, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, or 2.1.4
-
Confirm Quercus PHP implementation is in useDetermine if the Quercus module is deployed or enabled. Check for the presence of 'quercus.jar' in the Resin lib directory, or look for Quercus-related configuration in the application's WEB-INF/resin-web.xml or WEB-INF/web.xml files. Look for PHP file associations or servlet mappings that indicate PHP processing via Quercus.Affected if Quercus (quercus.jar) is present in the Resin deployment and PHP scripts are being processed through it
-
Inspect HTTP parameter handlingTest the application by sending requests with unusual or potentially contaminated parameter names containing special characters (e.g., null bytes, Unicode characters like ÿ, or characters outside ASCII range). Compare how the application handles these versus standard parameter names. Review application logs for unexpected behavior or validation bypasses.Affected if Application accepts and processes HTTP parameters with special/non-standard characters in ways that differ from normal parameters, or input validation can be bypassed using crafted parameter names
You are affected if your Resin server version is 4.0.28 or lower, or any 2.x version between 2.0.0 and 2.1.4, and you are using the Quercus PHP implementation to process PHP applications.
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 Resin server to version 4.0.29 or later to obtain the patched Quercus implementation that properly handles parameter names.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $2,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-2965 — 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-2012-2965 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data