Enterprise LinuxOperating system · Redhat
CVE-2015-5229
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 · uneditedThe calloc function in the glibc package in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6.7 and 7.2 does not properly initialize memory areas, which might allow context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (hang or crash) via unspecified vectors.
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 confidenceA flaw in the calloc() function within glibc on RHEL 6.7 and 7.2 prevents proper memory initialization, potentially leaving sensitive data in allocated memory and allowing attackers to cause denial of service through unspecified vectors.
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
Enterprise LinuxOperating system
= 6.7= 7.2
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
= 7.0
Enterprise Linux Hpc NodeOperating system
= 7.0
Enterprise Linux Hpc Node EusOperating system
= 7.2
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
= 7.0
Enterprise Linux Server AusOperating system
= 7.2
Enterprise Linux Server EusOperating system
= 7.2
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
= 7.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed glibc versionRun `rpm -q glibc` to retrieve the installed glibc package version and release numberAffected if The glibc version matches the version shipped with RHEL 6.7, 7.2, or 7.0 (i.e., glibc-2.17-* for RHEL 7 or glibc-2.12-* for RHEL 6.7)
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Confirm RHEL major and minor versionRun `cat /etc/redhat-release` or `hostnamectl | grep Operating System` to identify the exact RHEL versionAffected if The system reports version 6.7, 7.2, or 7.0 (Desktop, HPC Node, Server, or Workstation variants)
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Verify glibc build date and changelogRun `rpm -q --changelog glibc | head -20` to inspect recent fix entries; also check `rpm -qi glibc` for the build dateAffected if No recent patches for calloc() memory initialization are listed, or the build date predates the CVE-2015-5229 fix (late 2015)
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Detect calloc behavior if application access is possibleCreate a simple test program that calls calloc() and inspects allocated memory for uninitialized patterns using a debugger or hex dumpAffected if Allocated memory contains non-zero data immediately after calloc() returns, indicating initialization failure
A system is affected if it runs RHEL 6.7, 7.2, or 7.0 variants with an unpatched glibc version that lacks the calloc() initialization fix.
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 dataUpdate glibc to patched versions via standard RHEL security advisories; test application compatibility post-update due to glibc's critical role in system functionality.
Fix this in Enterprise Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,472.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-5229 — 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-2015-5229 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
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