dbcve.org
DevscriptsApplication · Debian

CVE-2025-8454

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-01
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
It was discovered that uscan, a tool to scan/watch upstream sources for new releases of software, included in devscripts (a collection of scripts to make the life of a Debian Package maintainer easier), skips OpenPGP verification if the upstream source is already downloaded from a previous run even if the verification failed back then.

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

uscan in devscripts skips OpenPGP signature verification for upstream source files that were previously downloaded, even when prior verification attempts failed. This means if a download's signature was invalid or verification was unsuccessful, subsequent runs will accept the same unverifiable file without re-checking, potentially allowing tampered or malicious upstream sources to be used.

MitigationAvoid using uscan until the vulnerability is patched. If uscan has been used, manually verify all previously downloaded sources using gpg --verify before use. Apply vendor patches when available.

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
DevscriptsApplication
Affected:= 2.25.15

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Verify devscripts package installation
    Run 'dpkg -l devscripts' or 'apt show devscripts' to confirm devscripts is installed on the system
    Affected if devscripts is installed and version is 2.25.15
  2. Confirm the exact uscan version
    Run 'uscan --version' or check the devscripts version via 'dpkg -l | grep devscripts'
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.25.15
  3. Identify if uscan is actively used
    Check for uscan configuration files (debian/watch) in source packages, or look for recent uscan execution logs in the system
    Affected if uscan is being used to download upstream source files with the affected version installed
  4. Inspect previously downloaded sources
    Look for source tarballs in the package build directory or upstream source cache that were downloaded using uscan, particularly those where signature verification may have been attempted
    Affected if Previously downloaded upstream sources exist that were obtained using the vulnerable uscan version and may have had failed or incomplete signature verification

You are affected if devscripts version 2.25.15 is installed AND you use uscan to download or re-download upstream source files, as the signature verification will be skipped for files previously downloaded with failed verification attempts.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Avoid using uscan until the vulnerability is patched. If uscan has been used, manually verify all previously downloaded sources using gpg --verify before use. Apply vendor patches when available.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

devscripts (>2.25.15, fixed in Debian unstable/Bookworm+ updates)

  1. Upgrade devscripts to a version newer than 2.25.15 that includes the security fix for the uscan OpenPGP verification bypass vulnerability
  2. After upgrading, clear any previously cached upstream source files in your package build directories to ensure fresh verification on next run
  3. Verify the fix by running uscan on a package with signature verification enabled and confirm it properly validates signatures on each run

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

Fix this in Devscripts Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2025-8454 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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