CVE-2015-0972
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 · uneditedPearson ProctorCache before 2015.1.17 uses the same hardcoded password across different customers' installations, which allows remote attackers to modify test metadata or cause a denial of service (test disruption) by leveraging knowledge of this password.
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 confidencePearson ProctorCache before version 2015.1.17 contains a hardcoded password embedded in the application code that is identical across all customer installations. This credential provides administrative access, allowing remote attackers who discover the password to modify test metadata or disrupt testing operations through denial of service.
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<= 2015.1.16CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/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.
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Identify ProctorCache versionLocate and inspect the installed version of Pearson ProctorCache, typically found in the application about panel, installation directory metadata, or by querying the service informationAffected if The installed version is 2015.1.16 or earlier (versions prior to 2015.1.17 contain the hardcoded credential)
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Compare version to affected rangeCheck if the identified version falls within the affected range of version 2015.1.16 or belowAffected if The installed version is 2015.1.16 or any earlier version, as these all contain the hardcoded administrative credential
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Inspect application binaries or configuration for embedded credentialsSearch the application installation directory for strings or configuration files containing hardcoded password values, particularly administrative credentials that appear identical across installationsAffected if A hardcoded password is found embedded in application binaries, scripts, or configuration files that is identical to default credentials
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Review network exposure of ProctorCache serviceCheck firewall rules and service binding configuration to determine if the ProctorCache administrative interface is accessible from untrusted networksAffected if The ProctorCache service is exposed to network access without proper segmentation, allowing remote attackers to attempt login with the discovered hardcoded credential
A user is affected if their installed ProctorCache version is 2015.1.16 or earlier, which contains the hardcoded administrative password embedded in the application code.
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 patch by upgrading to version 2015.1.17 or later, which replaces the hardcoded credential with proper credential management. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the ProctorCache service to minimize exposure.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-0972 — 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-2015-0972 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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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