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Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2015-8036

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-11-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.3.14 / 2.1.2 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
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
Heap-based buffer overflow in ARM mbed TLS (formerly PolarSSL) 1.3.x before 1.3.14 and 2.x before 2.1.2 allows remote SSL servers to cause a denial of service (client crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a long session ticket name to the session ticket extension, which is not properly handled when creating a ClientHello message to resume a session. NOTE: this identifier was SPLIT from CVE-2015-5291 per ADT3 due to different affected version ranges.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow in ARM mbed TLS when processing long session ticket names during session resumption. When a client attempts to resume a TLS session by sending a ClientHello with a session ticket extension, the library does not properly validate the length of the session ticket name, leading to heap overflow that can crash the client or potentially allow remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade mbed TLS to version 1.3.14 or later (for 1.3.x branch) or 2.1.2 or later (for 2.x branch) to obtain the patched version. Alternatively, apply vendor-specific security patches if using a derivative distribution.

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
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 21
PolarsslApplication
Affected:<= 1.2.17
Mbed TlsApplication
Affected:>= 1.3.0, < 1.3.14>= 2.0.0, < 2.1.2
OpensuseOperating system
Affected:= 13.2

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

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 mbed TLS or PolarSSL installation
    Check for the presence of mbed TLS or PolarSSL libraries. On Linux systems, examine installed packages using package manager commands such as 'dpkg -l | grep -i mbed' for Debian/Ubuntu, 'rpm -qa | grep -i mbed' for RHEL/Fedora, or check for library files like libmbedtls.so, libpolarssl.so in standard locations (/usr/lib/, /usr/lib64/).
    Affected if mbed TLS or PolarSSL is installed and the version falls within the affected ranges (PolarSSL <= 1.2.17, mbed TLS 1.3.x < 1.3.14, or mbed TLS 2.x < 2.1.2)
  2. Determine installed version number
    Query the library version directly if possible. For mbed TLS, you can check the package version via your system's package manager or examine the library binary. On some systems, 'openssl version' may show linked mbed TLS versions, or check header files in /usr/include/mbedtls/ for version macros like MBEDTLS_VERSION_NUMBER.
    Affected if The version cannot be determined or falls within the vulnerable ranges specified in the affected products list
  3. Verify if session tickets are enabled
    Inspect TLS configuration files or application settings that control session ticket usage. Check if the application or service using mbed TLS has session tickets enabled - this is typically a configuration option in the TLS settings. Review application logs or configuration for 'session ticket' or 'ticket' parameters.
    Affected if Session ticket resumption is enabled and the library version is vulnerable - the flaw only triggers when the client attempts to resume a TLS session using session tickets

You are affected if mbed TLS or PolarSSL is installed with a version <= 1.2.17 (PolarSSL), 1.3.x < 1.3.14, or 2.x < 2.1.2, AND session ticket resumption is enabled in your TLS configuration.

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 1.3.14 / 2.1.2 or later
Fixed in 1.3.142.1.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade mbed TLS to version 1.3.14 or later (for 1.3.x branch) or 2.1.2 or later (for 2.x branch) to obtain the patched version. Alternatively, apply vendor-specific security patches if using a derivative distribution.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,040
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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-2015-8036 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