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OpenvpnApplication

CVE-2024-27459

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.5.10 / 2.6.10 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 interactive service in OpenVPN 2.6.9 and earlier allows an attacker to send data causing a stack overflow which can be used to execute arbitrary code with more privileges.

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 confidence

A stack overflow vulnerability exists in OpenVPN's interactive service (versions 2.6.9 and earlier) where an attacker can send specially crafted data that triggers the overflow, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges.

MitigationUpgrade OpenVPN to version 2.6.10 or later to remediate the stack overflow in the interactive service component.

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
OpenvpnApplication
Affected:< 2.5.10>= 2.6.0, < 2.6.10

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if OpenVPN is installed
    On Windows, check for OpenVPN in Program Files or via 'sc query' for OpenVPNService. On Linux, run 'openvpn --version' or check package manager.
    Affected if OpenVPN is not found or the command fails, the system is not affected by this CVE.
  2. Identify installed OpenVPN version
    Run 'openvpn --version' or check the installed package version via system package manager (e.g., 'dpkg -l openvpn', 'rpm -q openvpn').
    Affected if Version is 2.5.x and less than 2.5.10, OR version is 2.6.x and less than 2.6.10, then the system is affected.
  3. Determine if interactive service is in use
    On Windows, run 'sc query OpenVPNServiceInteractive' or check if the OpenVPN interactive service is running via Services.msc. This component is Windows-specific.
    Affected if The interactive service is installed and running, the vulnerability is exploitable. If only the standard OpenVPN is used without the interactive service, the specific attack surface may be reduced.
  4. Verify component version matches main OpenVPN version
    Check the interactive service executable version: locate 'openvpnservice.exe' in the OpenVPN installation directory, right-click and view Properties > Details for version info.
    Affected if The interactive service version matches affected OpenVPN version ranges, the system is vulnerable.

The system is affected if OpenVPN is installed with a version less than 2.5.10 (2.5.x branch) or between 2.6.0 and 2.6.9 (2.6.x branch), AND the OpenVPN interactive service component is present and enabled.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.5.10 / 2.6.10 or later
Fixed in 2.5.102.6.10
Interim mitigation

Upgrade OpenVPN to version 2.6.10 or later to remediate the stack overflow in the interactive service component.

Recommended fix High confidence

OpenVPN 2.5.10+ or 2.6.10+ (depending on your branch)

  1. Check the current OpenVPN version by running: openvpn --version
  2. For OpenVPN 2.5.x versions: Upgrade to version 2.5.10 or later. On Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install openvpn
  3. For OpenVPN 2.6.x versions (prior to 2.6.10): Upgrade to version 2.6.10 or later. On Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install openvpn
  4. Verify the upgrade was successful by running: openvpn --version
  5. Restart the OpenVPN service if it is running: sudo systemctl restart openvpn

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Openvpn Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-27459 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