CVE-2014-3462
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 ".encfs6.xml" configuration file in encfs before 1.7.5 allows remote attackers to access sensitive data by setting "blockMACBytes" to 0 and adding 8 to "blockMACRandBytes".
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 confidenceThis is a configuration vulnerability in encfs encrypted filesystem where manipulating the .encfs6.xml configuration file (specifically setting blockMACBytes to 0 and increasing blockMACRandBytes by 8) allows bypassing encryption integrity checks and accessing sensitive plaintext data.
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= 42.1= 42.2= 13.2< 1.7.5CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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.
-
Check installed encfs versionRun 'encfs --version' or 'rpm -q encfs' (on openSUSE) to determine the version numberAffected if Version is below 1.7.5, or on openSUSE 13.2, 42.1, or 42.2 (check if your installed package version maps to an encfs version below 1.7.5)
-
Locate .encfs6.xml configuration filesSearch for files named '.encfs6.xml' in user directories, encrypted volume locations, or backup storage: 'find /home -name .encfs6.xml 2>/dev/null' and 'find /mnt -name .encfs6.xml 2>/dev/null'Affected if Any .encfs6.xml file exists in your environment (the vulnerability applies to any volume using this config format)
-
Inspect blockMACBytes setting in configurationOpen each found .encfs6.xml file and locate the 'blockMACBytes' element under the volumeConfig section; check its numeric valueAffected if blockMACBytes is set to 0 (this disables MAC integrity checking and is the vulnerable configuration)
-
Inspect blockMACRandBytes setting in configurationIn the same .encfs6.xml files, locate the 'blockMACRandBytes' element under volumeConfig and note its valueAffected if blockMACRandBytes has an unusually high value (the vulnerability involves increasing this by 8 from a normal setting; compare to typical values of 0-4 to identify anomalies)
-
Check for active or recently-mounted encfs volumesRun 'mount | grep encfs' or review '/proc/mounts' for encfs entries, and check 'ls -la' for mounted volume directoriesAffected if Any encfs volume is currently mounted or was recently active, indicating the vulnerable configuration may be in use
Your environment is affected if encfs version is below 1.7.5 AND any .encfs6.xml configuration file has blockMACBytes set to 0 with blockMACRandBytes set to an elevated value, as this combination bypasses encryption integrity checks.
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 data1.7.5
Upgrade encfs to version 1.7.5 or later and regenerate the encrypted volume with secure configuration settings to ensure the vulnerability cannot be exploited.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $7,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-3462 — 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-2014-3462 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