CVE-2015-8212
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 · uneditedCGI handling flaw in bozohttpd in NetBSD 6.0 through 6.0.6, 6.1 through 6.1.5, and 7.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted arguments, which are handled by a non-CGI aware program.
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 confidenceCGI handling flaw in bozohttpd web server allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted arguments. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of arguments that get passed to programs that are not CGI-aware, enabling command injection.
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= 6.0= 6.0.1= 6.0.2= 6.0.3= 6.0.4= 6.0.5= 6.0.6= 6.1= 6.1.1= 6.1.2= 6.1.3= 6.1.4CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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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Identify if bozohttpd is runningRun 'ps aux | grep bozohttpd' or check running processes for bozohttpdAffected if bozohttpd process is found running on the system
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Check if CGI support is enabled in bozohttpdExamine the bozohttpd configuration file or startup script for CGI-related flags (such as -c flag for CGI directory)Affected if CGI support is enabled and a CGI directory is configured
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Determine the NetBSD versionRun 'uname -r' or check /etc/release for the exact NetBSD version numberAffected if The version is 6.0.x (any version from 6.0 to 6.0.6) or 6.1.x (any version from 6.1 to 6.1.4)
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Verify CGI programs are accessibleCheck the configured CGI directory (commonly /cgi-bin or similar) and confirm CGI scripts are present and accessible via HTTPAffected if CGI programs/scripts exist and are reachable through the web server
You are affected if bozohttpd is running with CGI enabled on NetBSD versions 6.0.x through 6.0.6 or 6.1.x through 6.1.4
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.
dbcve · scopedApply vendor patches for NetBSD 6.0.7+, 6.1.6+, and 7.1+ that address the CGI argument handling. If patching is not immediately possible, disable CGI functionality in bozohttpd configuration.
NetBSD 6.0.6 or later (6.1.x branch to 6.1.5+, or 7.0 branch to 7.0+)
- 1. Identify the current NetBSD version using 'uname -a' or 'cat /etc/os-release'
- 2. Plan for upgrade considering this is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in bozohttpd
- 3. Back up all critical data and configurations before upgrading
- 4. Obtain the fixed NetBSD release (6.0.6 or later, or 6.1.5 or later, or 7.0 or later) from official NetBSD mirrors (ftp.netbsd.org)
- 5. Follow NetBSD upgrade procedures documented at https://www.netbsd.org/docs/upgrading.html
- 6. After upgrade, verify bozohttpd version and ensure CGI handling is properly configured
- 7. Test that web services function correctly post-upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-8212 — 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-2015-8212 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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