FedoraOperating system · Fedoraproject
CVE-2015-8393
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 · uneditedpcregrep in PCRE before 8.38 mishandles the -q option for binary files, which might allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a crafted file, as demonstrated by a CGI script that sends stdout data to a client.
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 confidenceThe pcregrep utility in PCRE versions prior to 8.38 incorrectly handles the -q (quiet) option when processing binary files. Instead of suppressing all output as intended, the utility may leak stdout data to an attacker-controlled destination, such as when used in CGI scripts. This allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from crafted binary files.
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
FedoraOperating system
= 22
PHPApplication
>= 5.5.0, < 5.5.32>= 5.6.0, < 5.6.18>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.3<= 8.37CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify PCRE library versionRun 'pcregrep --version' or check the installed PCRE library with 'rpm -q pcre' on Fedora or 'php -i | grep PCRE' for PHPbundled PCREAffected if Version is 8.37 or earlier (or for PHP: 5.5.x < 5.5.32, 5.6.x < 5.6.18, or 7.0.x < 7.0.3)
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Locate pcregrep binaryRun 'which pcregrep' or 'find /usr -name pcregrep' to find the binary locationAffected if pcregrep binary exists on the system
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Check for pcregrep usage in web or CGI scriptsSearch for pcregrep invocations in web document roots: 'grep -r "pcregrep" /var/www /cgi-bin 2>/dev/null' or review CGI scripts manuallyAffected if pcregrep is invoked with -q option in CGI or web-facing scripts processing user-supplied input
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Identify scripts using pcregrep with -q flagSearch for pcregrep commands containing -q: 'grep -r "pcregrep.*-q" /path/to/scripts'Affected if Any script uses pcregrep with -q option on potentially binary or untrusted input files
A system is affected if it runs PCRE <= 8.37 (or vulnerable PHP versions) and uses pcregrep with the -q option in CGI or web contexts processing binary files.
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 data5.5.325.6.187.0.3
Upgrade PCRE to version 8.38 or later to patch pcregrep. Additionally, avoid using pcregrep with the -q option on untrusted input in web-facing or CGI contexts, or implement input validation to reject binary files before processing.
Fix this in Fedora
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-8393 — 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-2015-8393 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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