CVE-2015-2233
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 · uneditedLenovo System Update (formerly ThinkVantage System Update) before 5.06.0034 does not properly validate CA chains during signature validation, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to upload and execute arbitrary files via a crafted certificate.
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 confidenceLenovo System Update versions before 5.06.0034 fail to properly validate CA certificate chains during signature verification. This allows a man-in-the-middle attacker to present a crafted certificate and cause the application to accept and execute malicious arbitrary files disguised as legitimate updates.
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<= 5.06.0027CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:A/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/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 if Lenovo System Update is installedOpen Programs and Features (Windows) or check C:\Program Files\Lenovo\System Update or C:\Program Files (x86)\Lenovo\System Update for the su.exe or TVSU.exe executableAffected if The application is not found in the system
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Determine the installed version of Lenovo System UpdateRight-click on the executable (su.exe or TVSU.exe) in the Lenovo System Update installation directory, select Properties, and view the Version tab. Alternatively, run 'su.exe /?' or check the version through Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Lenovo\System Update\VersionAffected if Unable to retrieve version information
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Compare installed version to affected rangeCompare the installed version number to the affected range: versions 5.06.0027 and earlier are vulnerable. The affected format is 5.06.xxxx where xxxx is 0027 or lowerAffected if Installed version is 5.06.0027 or lower (for example, 5.06.0020, 5.06.0015, etc.)
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Verify signature validation behavior (optional confirmation)This check requires examining network traffic or update files for proper certificate chain validation - typically requires network analysis tools or examining the application logs during an update checkAffected if Application accepts updates without proper CA certificate chain validation (advanced check, requires traffic analysis)
A user is affected if Lenovo System Update version 5.06.0027 or earlier is installed on their system, as these versions do not properly validate CA certificate chains during signature verification.
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 dataUpgrade Lenovo System Update to version 5.06.0034 or later, which implements proper CA chain validation during signature verification.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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-2015-2233 — 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-2015-2233 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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