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Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2015-5299

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2015-12-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.1.22 / 4.2.7 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
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
The shadow_copy2_get_shadow_copy_data function in modules/vfs_shadow_copy2.c in Samba 3.x and 4.x before 4.1.22, 4.2.x before 4.2.7, and 4.3.x before 4.3.3 does not verify that the DIRECTORY_LIST access right has been granted, which allows remote attackers to access snapshots by visiting a shadow copy directory.

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

The shadow_copy2 VFS module in Samba fails to verify the DIRECTORY_LIST access right before exposing snapshot data, allowing authenticated remote users to bypass directory access controls and view shadow copies they shouldn't have permission to access.

MitigationUpgrade Samba to version 4.1.22, 4.2.7, 4.3.3 or later; if upgrading is not immediately feasible, disable the shadow_copy2 module if not required.

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
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 12.04= 14.04= 15.04= 15.10
SambaApplication
Affected:>= 3.0.20, < 4.1.22>= 4.2.0, < 4.2.7>= 4.3.0, < 4.3.3

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 Samba version
    Run 'smbd --version' or 'samba --version' to obtain the version number
    Affected if The version falls within the affected ranges: >= 3.0.20, < 4.1.22; >= 4.2.0, < 4.2.7; or >= 4.3.0, < 4.3.3
  2. Locate Samba configuration file
    Common locations are /etc/samba/smb.conf or /etc/smb.conf; check your system's default location
    Affected if Configuration file exists and the shadow_copy2 module is referenced
  3. Check if shadow_copy2 VFS module is loaded
    Search the smb.conf for lines containing 'vfs objects' or 'vfs module' and verify if 'shadow_copy2' is listed
    Affected if The string 'shadow_copy2' appears in a vfs objects or vfs module directive
  4. Identify shares using shadow_copy2
    Search smb.conf for '[shadow_copy' section headers or 'shadow:format' parameters that indicate shadow copy snapshots are configured
    Affected if Any share section contains shadow copy configuration pointing to snapshots that should have restricted access

You are affected if Samba is installed with a version in the affected ranges AND the shadow_copy2 module is enabled in at least one share configuration, allowing unauthenticated or unauthorized access to shadow copy snapshots.

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 4.1.22 / 4.2.7 / 4.3.3 or later
Fixed in 4.1.224.2.74.3.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Samba to version 4.1.22, 4.2.7, 4.3.3 or later; if upgrading is not immediately feasible, disable the shadow_copy2 module if not required.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2015-5299 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