CVE-2015-8659
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 · uneditedThe idle stream handling in nghttp2 before 1.6.0 allows attackers to have unspecified impact via unknown vectors, aka a heap-use-after-free bug.
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 confidenceHeap-use-after-free vulnerability in nghttp2 library's idle stream handling code affecting versions before 1.6.0. The memory corruption allows attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code via unspecified network vectors targeting HTTP/2 connections.
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<= 10.11.3<= 1.5.0<= 9.2.1<= 9.1<= 2.1CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 nghttp2 library versionRun 'nghttp2 --version' or check the library file version (e.g., libnghttp2.so on Linux, check /usr/local/lib for the .dylib on macOS)Affected if Version is 1.5.0 or earlier, or the version cannot be determined but the library exists on a system with known vulnerable versions
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Check if HTTP/2 support is enabledInspect your web server or application configuration (Apache, Nginx, curl) for HTTP/2 protocol enablement. Look for 'h2' or 'HTTP/2' in configuration files and listening servicesAffected if HTTP/2 protocol is enabled and nghttp2 is the HTTP/2 implementation being used
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For Apple macOS, check OS versionGo to Apple menu > About This Mac to see the macOS version numberAffected if macOS version is 10.11.3 or earlier AND HTTP/2 is in use (Safari, curl, or third-party apps using nghttp2)
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For Apple iOS/tvOS/watchOS devicesCheck Settings > General > About > Version on the iOS device; for tvOS/watchOS check through the paired iPhone or Apple Watch settingsAffected if iOS <= 9.2.1, tvOS <= 9.1, or watchOS <= 2.1, and applications using HTTP/2 are in use
You are affected if nghttp2 version is 1.5.0 or earlier (or Apple OS versions as listed) AND HTTP/2 connections are enabled or being used in your environment.
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 · scopedUpgrade nghttp2 to version 1.6.0 or later to address the heap-use-after-free in idle stream handling. Given CVSS 10 critical severity, treat as urgent priority.
nghttp2 version 1.6.0 or later
- Identify the current version of nghttp2 in use (e.g., run `nghttp2 --version` or check package manager)
- Upgrade nghttp2 to version 1.6.0 or later using the appropriate package manager or build from source
- For Apple devices (Mac OS X, iOS, tvOS, watchOS), apply the corresponding security updates from Apple that address this vulnerability
- After upgrading, verify the new version is installed correctly and test that dependent services (HTTP/2 servers, proxies) function properly
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-8659 — 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-2015-8659 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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