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Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2015-1606

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-11-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.1.2 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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
The keyring DB in GnuPG before 2.1.2 does not properly handle invalid packets, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (invalid read and use-after-free) via a crafted keyring file.

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 confidence

GnuPG before version 2.1.2 contains a vulnerability in its keyring database handling code. When processing keyring files, the software fails to properly validate or handle invalid packets within the keyring, leading to an invalid memory read and potential use-after-free condition. This can be triggered by a specially crafted keyring file, resulting in denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade GnuPG to version 2.1.2 or later to patch this vulnerability. Avoid opening or importing keyring files from untrusted sources until the upgrade is applied.

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:= 7.0= 8.0
GnupgApplication
Affected:< 2.1.2

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Check installed GnuPG version
    Run `gpg --version` or `gpg2 --version` to display the installed GnuPG version number
    Affected if The displayed version is earlier than 2.1.2 (for example 2.0.x, 1.4.x)
  2. Check Debian package version
    Run `dpkg -l gnupg` or `dpkg -l gnupg2` to see the installed package version on Debian systems
    Affected if The installed package version is earlier than 2.1.2-1 or the version string shows a release earlier than 2.1.2
  3. Verify keyring processing is in use
    GnuPG processes keyring files during normal operations such as `gpg --list-keys`, `gpg --recv-keys`, or encrypting/decrypting with existing keys
    Affected if Any command that accesses the keyring (default location ~/.gnupg/) will trigger the vulnerable code path if the version is affected

You are affected if your installed GnuPG version is earlier than 2.1.2, as the vulnerability exists in the keyring packet handling code of older versions.

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 2.1.2 or later
Fixed in 2.1.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GnuPG to version 2.1.2 or later to patch this vulnerability. Avoid opening or importing keyring files from untrusted sources until the upgrade is applied.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2015-1606 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