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LinuxOperating system · Oracle

CVE-2015-7703

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2017-07-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 "pidfile" or "driftfile" directives in NTP ntpd 4.2.x before 4.2.8p4, and 4.3.x before 4.3.77, when ntpd is configured to allow remote configuration, allows remote attackers with an IP address that is allowed to send configuration requests, and with knowledge of the remote configuration password to write to arbitrary files via the :config command.

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

NTP ntpd versions 4.2.x before 4.2.8p4 and 4.3.x before 4.3.77 contain a file write vulnerability in the pidfile and driftfile directives. When ntpd is configured to allow remote configuration, an attacker with a whitelisted IP address and knowledge of the remote configuration password can write to arbitrary files via the :config command by manipulating these directives.

MitigationDisable remote configuration in ntpd if not required, or strictly limit allowed IPs and use strong passwords. Update to ntpd 4.2.8p4 or 4.3.77 or later.

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
LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 6
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 7.0= 8.0= 9.0
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0
Enterprise Linux Server AusOperating system
Affected:= 7.3= 7.4= 7.6= 7.7
Enterprise Linux Server EusOperating system
Affected:= 7.3= 7.4= 7.5= 7.6= 7.7
Enterprise Linux Server TusOperating system
Affected:= 7.3= 7.6= 7.7
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0

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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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. Check ntpd version
    Run 'ntpd --version' or 'ntpdc -version' to get the installed ntpd version number
    Affected if Version is 4.2.x before 4.2.8p4, or 4.3.x before 4.3.77, or otherwise falls within the affected ranges.
  2. Verify if remote configuration is enabled
    Search the ntpd configuration file (typically /etc/ntp.conf) for 'enable mode7' or 'modifymode' directives
    Affected if Remote configuration is explicitly enabled in the configuration.
  3. Inspect restrict rules for remote access
    Examine the 'restrict' lines in the ntpd configuration file to see which IP addresses are allowed to query or configure ntpd
    Affected if The restrict rules allow untrusted or broad network ranges (e.g., 'restrict default' or 'restrict 0.0.0.0' without proper masking) to perform remote configuration.
  4. Check for remote configuration password
    Look for 'remoteconfig' or 'keys' directives in the ntpd configuration file that define authentication for remote configuration
    Affected if Remote configuration is enabled but no password is set, or the password is weak or guessable.

The environment is affected only if ntpd is running a vulnerable version (4.2.x before 4.2.8p4 or 4.3.x before 4.3.77) AND remote configuration is enabled with accessible IP addresses, regardless of password protection.

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

Disable remote configuration in ntpd if not required, or strictly limit allowed IPs and use strong passwords. Update to ntpd 4.2.8p4 or 4.3.77 or later.

Fix this in Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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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-2015-7703 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
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