Exchange ServerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2015-2505

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-09-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
Outlook Web Access (OWA) in Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 8 and 9 and SP1 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive stacktrace information via a crafted request, aka "Exchange Information Disclosure Vulnerability."

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

This is an information disclosure vulnerability in Outlook Web Access (OWA) for Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 (Cumulative Updates 8, 9, and SP1). The vulnerability allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive stack trace information via a crafted HTTP request, which can reveal internal system details, file paths, and application structure that may aid in further exploitation.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security update (MS15-103) to Exchange Server 2013. For systems that cannot be immediately patched, consider restricting OWA access to trusted networks via firewall or VPN, and implement web application firewall rules to detect and block requests designed to trigger stack trace errors.

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
Exchange ServerApplication
Affected:= 2013

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Exchange Server version
    Check the Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 build number via Exchange Management Shell using Get-ExchangeServer | Format-List Name,Edition,AdminDisplayVersion or review the installed updates in Programs and Features to determine the Cumulative Update level (CU8, CU9, or SP1)
    Affected if The server is running Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 8, Cumulative Update 9, or Service Pack 1 without the MS15-103 security update applied
  2. Confirm OWA is enabled
    Verify that Outlook Web Access is enabled on the Exchange server using Get-OwaVirtualDirectory in Exchange Management Shell to check the OWA configuration
    Affected if OWA virtual directories are configured and accessible, as the vulnerability is exploited through OWA HTTP requests
  3. Verify security update status
    Check for the presence of the MS15-103 security update in Windows Update history or in the installed updates list on the Exchange Server
    Affected if The MS15-103 security update is NOT installed and the Exchange Server version is one of the affected Cumulative Updates (CU8, CU9, or SP1)
  4. Assess network exposure of OWA
    Review firewall rules, load balancer configurations, or reverse proxy settings that control access to OWA endpoints (/owa, /owa/auth) from external networks
    Affected if OWA is directly accessible from untrusted networks (such as the public internet) without VPN or authentication gateway protection

A user is affected if they are running Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 8, 9, or SP1 with OWA enabled and the MS15-103 security update has not been applied, particularly if OWA is exposed to untrusted networks.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the relevant Microsoft security update (MS15-103) to Exchange Server 2013. For systems that cannot be immediately patched, consider restricting OWA access to trusted networks via firewall or VPN, and implement web application firewall rules to detect and block requests designed to trigger stack trace errors.

Fix this in Exchange Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-2505 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-2505 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