dbcve.org
Susefirewall2Application · Suse

CVE-2017-15638

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-11-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 SuSEfirewall2 package before 3.6.312-2.13.1 in SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) Desktop 12 SP2, Server 12 SP2, and Server for Raspberry Pi 12 SP2; before 3.6.312.333-3.10.1 in SLE Desktop 12 SP3 and Server 12 SP3; before 3.6_SVNr208-2.18.3.1 in SLE Server 11 SP4; before 3.6.312-5.9.1 in openSUSE Leap 42.2; and before 3.6.312.333-7.1 in openSUSE Leap 42.3 might allow remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions on the portmap service by leveraging a missing source net restriction for _rpc_ services.

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

SuSEfirewall2 has a missing source network restriction for _rpc_ services that allows remote attackers to bypass intended firewall access restrictions on the portmap service. The portmap (rpc.portmap) service is used by NFS and other RPC-based services, and without proper source net restrictions, an attacker could potentially access these services remotely.

MitigationApply the vendor patches for the affected SuSEfirewall2 package versions (3.6.312-2.13.1 and later, depending on the SLE/openSUSE version) to add proper source network restrictions for _rpc_ services, or manually configure firewall rules to restrict portmap access to trusted source networks.

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
Susefirewall2Application
Affected:all versions

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
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L

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. Verify SuSEfirewall2 is installed
    Check for the presence of the SuSEfirewall2 package or service. On SUSE systems, run: rpm -qa | grep -i suesefirewall or check systemctl status SuSEfirewall2
    Affected if SuSEfirewall2 is not installed or not active - the check does not apply
  2. Confirm portmap/rpcbind service is running
    Check if the rpcbind service is enabled and running: systemctl status rpcbind or rpcinfo -p localhost
    Affected if The rpcbind/portmap service is not running - the vulnerability cannot be exploited
  3. Inspect SuSEfirewall2 configuration for _rpc_ services
    Examine /etc/sysconfig/SuSEfirewall2 for FW_CONFIGURATIONS or FW_SERVICES_""_RPC settings. Look for any _rpc_ entries in the firewall configuration
    Affected if No _rpc_ services are defined in the firewall config - the check does not apply, but if _rpc_ is configured without source IP restrictions, the system is vulnerable
  4. Check for missing source network restrictions on RPC rules
    Review the generated iptables rules using: iptables -L -n -v | grep -i rpc or examine /etc/sysconfig/scripts/SuSEfirewall2-custom for custom rules. Look for firewall rules allowing RPC services (ports 111/tcp, 111/udp, and NFS-related ports) without source IP address restrictions
    Affected if RPC service firewall rules exist but do not include explicit source IP/network restrictions (such as -s 192.168.1.0/24 or similar), meaning any remote source can reach these services

Your system is affected if SuSEfirewall2 is active, the portmap/rpcbind service is running, and firewall rules for _rpc_ services exist without source network restrictions defined.

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

Apply the vendor patches for the affected SuSEfirewall2 package versions (3.6.312-2.13.1 and later, depending on the SLE/openSUSE version) to add proper source network restrictions for _rpc_ services, or manually configure firewall rules to restrict portmap access to trusted source networks.

Fix this in Susefirewall2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,380
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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-2017-15638 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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