CVE-2012-3292
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 · uneditedThe GridFTP in Globus Toolkit (GT) before 5.2.2, when certain autoconf macros are defined, does not properly check the return value from the getpwnam_r function, which might allow remote attackers to gain privileges by logging in with a user that does not exist, which causes GridFTP to run as the last user in the password file.
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 confidenceGridFTP in Globus Toolkit before 5.2.2 fails to properly validate the return value from getpwnam_r() when certain autoconf macros are enabled. When a remote attacker logs in with a non-existent username, the function fails but the application does not reject the login—instead it runs as the last user entry in the password file, typically root or another privileged account.
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<= 5.2.1= 2.0= 2.2= 2.4.3= 3.0.2= 3.2.1= 4.0.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.0.3= 4.0.4= 4.0.5CVSS 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
- High
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
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 Globus Toolkit versionRun 'globus-version' or check the installed packages (e.g., 'rpm -qa | grep globus' or 'dpkg -l | grep globus') to determine the exact version of Globus Toolkit installed on the system.Affected if The installed version is 5.2.1 or earlier, or one of the specific affected versions (2.0, 2.2, 2.4.3, 3.0.2, 3.2.1, 4.0.0-4.0.5).
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Confirm GridFTP component is presentCheck if GridFTP server is installed. Look for the 'globus-gridftp-server' package or binary (e.g., 'which globus-gridftp-server' or check package manager listings).Affected if GridFTP is installed and the Globus Toolkit version falls within the affected range.
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Check for vulnerable getpwnam_r usageReview GridFTP server configuration and logs for authentication handling. If accessible, examine the source code or binary for getpwnam_r() calls that do not check return values properly. Look for the presence of autoconf macro configurations related to user lookup.Affected if The code uses getpwnam_r() without proper return value validation and the autoconf macros that trigger the vulnerable code path are enabled.
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Test authentication with non-existent userAttempt to authenticate to the GridFTP server using a username that does not exist in the system's password database (e.g., using 'globus-url-copy' or an FTP client with a fake username). Monitor which user context the session runs under.Affected if The login succeeds and the session runs as a privileged user (such as root or the last entry in /etc/passwd), indicating the vulnerability is present and exploitable.
The environment is affected if GridFTP from Globus Toolkit version 5.2.1 or earlier (or one of the listed affected versions) is installed and allows a non-existent user to authenticate as a privileged account.
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 to Globus Toolkit 5.2.2 or later, which includes proper return value checking for getpwnam_r() to reject authentication attempts for non-existent users.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-3292 — 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-2012-3292 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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