Mobility Services EngineApplication · Cisco
CVE-2015-4282
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 · uneditedCisco Mobility Services Engine (MSE) through 8.0.120.7 uses weak permissions for unspecified binary files, which allows local users to obtain root privileges by writing to a file, aka Bug ID CSCuv40504.
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 · moderate confidenceThe Cisco Mobility Services Engine (MSE) versions through 8.0.120.7 contains binary files with overly permissive file permissions that allow local unprivileged users to modify executable files. By replacing these binaries with malicious code, a local attacker can achieve root privilege escalation.
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
Mobility Services EngineApplication
= 5.1_base= 5.2_base= 6.0_base= 7.0_base= 7.4.100.0= 7.4.110.0= 7.4.121.0= 7.4_base= 7.5.102.101= 7.6.100.0= 7.6.120.0= 7.6.132.0CVSS 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
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:M/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.
-
Identify if Cisco MSE is installedLocate Cisco Mobility Services Engine installation directories or check for MSE-related processes and services on the system. Look for common MSE installation paths or check system inventory tools.Affected if Cisco Mobility Services Engine software is present on the system
-
Determine the installed MSE versionUse system commands or configuration files to retrieve the installed MSE version number. Compare against the affected version list provided.Affected if The installed version matches one of: 5.1_base, 5.2_base, 6.0_base, 7.0_base, 7.4.100.0, 7.4.110.0, 7.4.121.0, 7.4_base, 7.5.102.101, 7.6.100.0, 7.6.120.0, 7.6.132.0, or any version through 8.0.120.7
-
Locate MSE binary filesFind executable files in the MSE installation directory. These are typically binary files, scripts, or applications used by the MSE software.Affected if MSE binary files exist on the system
-
Check file permissions on MSE binariesUse file permission commands (such as ls -la) to examine the permissions on MSE binary and executable files. Look for permissions that allow write access by non-root users.Affected if Any MSE binary or executable file has write permissions granted to non-root users (world-writable or group-writable permissions)
-
Verify binary file ownershipCheck the ownership of MSE binary files to determine if non-privileged users can modify or replace them.Affected if MSE binary files are owned by root but remain writable by non-root users, or are owned by non-root users
The environment is affected if Cisco Mobility Services Engine is installed with a version matching the affected list AND MSE binary files have write permissions accessible to non-root users, allowing potential privilege escalation.
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 the vendor patch for CSCuv40504 or upgrade to a fixed version. If patching is delayed, audit and restrict permissions on MSE binary files to root-only access, removing write permissions for non-root users.
Fix this in Mobility Services Engine
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-4282 — 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-2015-4282 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