CVE-2025-15638
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 · uneditedNet::Dropbear versions before 0.14 for Perl contains a vulnerable version of libtomcrypt. Net::Dropbear versions before 0.14 includes versions of Dropbear 2019.78 or earlier. These include versions of libtomcrypt v1.18.1 or earlier, which is affected by CVE-2016-6129 and CVE-2018-12437.
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 confidenceNet::Dropbear for Perl bundles a vulnerable version of libtomcrypt (v1.18.1 or earlier) containing known cryptographic vulnerabilities CVE-2016-6129 and CVE-2018-12437. These flaws exist in versions before 0.14, which also includes Dropbear 2019.78 or earlier.
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< 0.14CVSS 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:3.1/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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Verify Net::Dropbear Perl module is installedRun `perl -MNet::Dropbear -e 'print $Net::Dropbear::VERSION'` or check via `cpan -l | grep Net::Dropbear`Affected if Module is not found in Perl library path
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Confirm the installed Net::Dropbear versionCompare the version output from step 1 against the affected range: versions before 0.14 are vulnerableAffected if Version is less than 0.14 (e.g., 0.13.x, 0.12.x, etc.)
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Check the bundled Dropbear binary version if accessibleRun `dropbearversion` or inspect the Net::Dropbear distribution bundle for Dropbear version detailsAffected if Bundled Dropbear version is 2019.78 or earlier
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Determine if libtomcrypt cryptographic functions are in useReview application code for direct usage of Net::Dropbear cryptographic primitives that depend on libtomcryptAffected if Application uses Net::Dropbear for SSH operations with bundled crypto
A user is affected if Net::Dropbear version is below 0.14, which bundles the vulnerable libtomcrypt library.
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 · scoped0.14
Upgrade Net::Dropbear to version 0.14 or later to include the patched version of libtomcrypt and verify SSH functionality after the upgrade.
Net::Dropbear 0.14
- Check current Net::Dropbear version: perl -MNet::Dropbear -e 'print $Net::Dropbear::VERSION'
- Upgrade Net::Dropbear to version 0.14 or later using CPAN: cpan -T Net::Dropbear (or using cpanm: cpanm Net::Dropbear)
- Verify the upgrade was successful and version is 0.14 or later: perl -MNet::Dropbear -e 'print $Net::Dropbear::VERSION'
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-15638 — 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-2025-15638 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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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.
- 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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