DpkgApplication · Debian
CVE-2014-3127
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 · unediteddpkg 1.15.9 on Debian squeeze introduces support for the "C-style encoded filenames" feature without recognizing that the squeeze patch program lacks this feature, which triggers an interaction error that allows remote attackers to conduct directory traversal attacks and modify files outside of the intended directories via a crafted source package. NOTE: this can be considered a release engineering problem in the effort to fix CVE-2014-0471.
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 confidencedpkg 1.15.9 on Debian squeeze added support for C-style encoded filenames in source packages, but the squeeze patch program lacks this capability. This version mismatch creates an interaction error where the patch program fails to properly handle the new encoding, allowing directory traversal sequences in crafted source packages to escape intended extraction boundaries and write files outside the target directory.
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
DpkgApplication
= 1.16.0= 1.16.0.1= 1.16.0.2= 1.16.0.3= 1.16.1= 1.16.1.1= 1.16.1.2= 1.16.2= 1.16.3= 1.16.4= 1.16.4.1= 1.16.4.2CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:N/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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Check installed dpkg versionRun 'dpkg --version' or 'dpkg -l dpkg' to retrieve the installed dpkg version numberAffected if The reported version matches one of the affected versions: 1.16.0, 1.16.0.1, 1.16.0.2, 1.16.0.3, 1.16.1, 1.16.1.1, 1.16.1.2, 1.16.2, 1.16.3, 1.16.4, 1.16.4.1, or 1.16.4.2
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Verify dpkg-source component versionRun 'dpkg-source --version' to check the version of the dpkg-source (patch program) componentAffected if The dpkg-source version is earlier than 1.16.5 and does not include the C-style encoding compatibility fix
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Confirm source package extraction usageInspect logs or automation that runs 'dpkg-source -x' or equivalent commands to extract Debian source packagesAffected if Your environment processes Debian source packages (.dsc files) using dpkg-source on a regular or automated basis
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Check for C-style encoding in useReview any Debian source packages you extract to see if they contain filenames with C-style escape sequences (e.g., paths with backslash-escaped characters)Affected if You extract source packages that use C-style encoded filenames, which trigger the vulnerable code path in the squeeze patch program
You are affected if you run any of the listed dpkg versions (1.16.0 through 1.16.4.2) and process Debian source packages containing C-style encoded filenames.
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 dataApply vendor-supplied patches that restore compatibility between dpkg and the squeeze patch program, or upgrade to a patched dpkg version that either disables C-style encoding or includes a compatible patch implementation.
Fix this in Dpkg
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-3127 — 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-2014-3127 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
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