LibsshApplication

CVE-2012-4562

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-11-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 0.5.2 or later.
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
Multiple integer overflows in libssh before 0.5.3 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop or crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, which triggers a buffer overflow, infinite loop, or possibly some other unspecified vulnerabilities.

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

Multiple integer overflow vulnerabilities exist in libssh versions prior to 0.5.3. These flaws can be triggered by remote attackers through unspecified vectors, leading to buffer overflows, infinite loops, or other memory corruption issues. The vulnerabilities may allow denial of service (crash or infinite loop) and potentially arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade libssh to version 0.5.3 or later to patch the integer overflow vulnerabilities. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, restrict network access to SSH services using the affected library and monitor for signs of exploitation.

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
LibsshApplication
Affected:<= 0.5.2= 0.4.7= 0.4.8= 0.5.0= 0.5.1

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
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 checks

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

  1. Check if libssh library is installed
    Search for libssh library files on the system. On Linux/Unix, check common locations like /usr/lib/, /usr/local/lib/, or use commands like 'dpkg -l | grep libssh' (Debian-based) or 'rpm -qa | grep libssh' (RPM-based). On Windows, search for files named 'libssh.dll' or 'libssh.lib'.
    Affected if The library is found on the system.
  2. Determine installed libssh version
    Run version detection command appropriate to your system. For package-managed systems: 'dpkg -s libssh-4' or 'rpm -qi libssh'. For source installations, check the library itself using 'strings libssh.so.* | grep -i version' or check any version file in the installation directory.
    Affected if A version is returned that matches <= 0.5.2, or specifically 0.4.7, 0.4.8, 0.5.0, or 0.5.1.
  3. Verify exact version against affected ranges
    Compare your identified version number to the affected list: versions 0.4.7, 0.4.8, 0.5.0, 0.5.1, and any version 0.5.2 or lower are vulnerable.
    Affected if The installed version is 0.5.2 or lower, including the specific versions 0.4.7, 0.4.8, 0.5.0, or 0.5.1.
  4. Identify applications using libssh
    Search for applications or services that link to libssh: use 'ldd' on suspected binaries, check SSH daemon configurations, or review application dependency lists. Common indicators include SSH servers, SFTP clients, or Git over SSH tools.
    Affected if Any application or service utilizing the vulnerable libssh library is present on the system.

The system is affected if libssh version 0.5.2 or any of the specific versions 0.4.7, 0.4.8, 0.5.0, or 0.5.1 is installed and any application or service uses that library.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 0.5.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade libssh to version 0.5.3 or later to patch the integer overflow vulnerabilities. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, restrict network access to SSH services using the affected library and monitor for signs of exploitation.

Fix this in Libssh Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2012-4562 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
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