dbcve.org
Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2012-4428

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-12-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
openslp: SLPIntersectStringList()' Function has a DoS vulnerability

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 confidence

OpenSLP contains a Denial of Service vulnerability in the SLPIntersectStringList() function. This function, which handles string list intersection operations in the Service Location Protocol implementation, can be exploited to cause a crash or service disruption, likely through improper handling of malformed SLP network messages or input strings.

MitigationUpdate OpenSLP to the latest patched version that addresses CVE-2012-4428. If patching is not immediately possible, restrict network access to SLP services and filter unexpected SLP traffic at network boundaries.

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
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.0
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 20
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 12.04= 14.04
OpenslpApplication
Affected:= 1.2.1

CVSS 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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify OpenSLP package is installed
    Check for installed OpenSLP packages using your system package manager. On Debian/Ubuntu: dpkg -l | grep openslp or apt list --installed | grep openslp. On Fedora: rpm -qa | grep openslp.
    Affected if OpenSLP package is found installed on the system
  2. Determine installed OpenSLP version
    Run 'slpinfo -v' or check the package version directly: dpkg -l openslp (Debian/Ubuntu) or rpm -qi openslp (Fedora/RHEL). Compare the version number to the affected versions (1.2.1, and versions shipped with Ubuntu 12.04, 14.04, Debian 8.0, Fedora 20).
    Affected if Installed version matches or falls within the affected version ranges (1.2.1, or versions from Ubuntu 12.04/14.04, Debian 8.0, Fedora 20)
  3. Check if SLP daemon or service is running
    Run 'ps aux | grep slpd' or check service status with 'systemctl status slpd' (or 'service slpd status' on older systems). Also check for listening ports: 'netstat -anp | grep 427' or 'ss -tlnp | grep 427' (SLP default port).
    Affected if The slpd service is actively running and listening on SLP ports
  4. Identify SLP configuration and exposure
    Examine /etc/slp.conf and /etc/slp.reg for OpenSLP configuration settings. Check if SLP is configured to accept remote connections (look for 'net.slp.isBroadcastOnly=false' or unrestricted DA (Directory Agent) settings).
    Affected if SLP is configured to accept network requests from untrusted sources or is exposed to network
  5. Test for service availability
    Attempt to send a malformed SLP packet to the service using tools like 'slptool' or custom SLP message crafting utilities to see if the service responds or crashes. Alternatively, monitor service stability with 'systemctl status slpd' after SLP activity.
    Affected if Service crashes, becomes unresponsive, or exhibits unstable behavior when processing SLP requests

The system is affected if OpenSLP is installed with a vulnerable version (1.2.1 or versions from Ubuntu 12.04/14.04, Debian 8.0, Fedora 20) AND the SLP service is running and accessible on the network.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update OpenSLP to the latest patched version that addresses CVE-2012-4428. If patching is not immediately possible, restrict network access to SLP services and filter unexpected SLP traffic at network boundaries.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-4428 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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