CVE-2015-3246
libuser before 0.56.13-8 and 0.60 before 0.60-7, as used in the userhelper program in the usermode package, directly modifies /etc/passwd,…
- Published
- Updated
- Reserved
- Assigned by
- redhat
Description
libuser before 0.56.13-8 and 0.60 before 0.60-7, as used in the userhelper program in the usermode package, directly modifies /etc/passwd, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (inconsistent file state) by causing an error during the modification. NOTE: this issue can be combined with CVE-2015-3245 to gain privileges.
Exploited in the wild
CISA lists this vulnerability in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as Red Hat Libuser Race Condition Vulnerability.
- Added
- 26 Aug 2026
- Fix due (US federal)
- 9 Sept 2026
- Used by ransomware
- Not known
Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA-ADPADP (enrichment) | 3.1 | High7.4 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Analyzed | 3.1 | High7.4 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 8.5% · top 5.0% of all CVEs (3 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
Loading the EPSS history…
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.4.
Weakness
Affected products
n/a
- affected n/a
References (12)
- 76022 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDx_transferred
- FEDORA-2015-12301 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_FEDORAx_transferred
- 44633 (opens in a new tab)exploitx_refsource_EXPLOIT-DBx_transferred
- https://access.redhat.com/articles/1537873 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- RHSA-2015:1482 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
- FEDORA-2015-12064 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_FEDORAx_transferred
- openSUSE-SU-2015:1332 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEx_transferred
- https://www.qualys.com/2015/07/23/cve-2015-3245-cve-2015-3246/cve-2015-3245-cve-2015-3246.txt (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- 1033040 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_SECTRACKx_transferred
- RHSA-2015:1483 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
- https://blog.talosintelligence.com/uat-10147-chinese-speaking-adversary-integrates-agentic-ai-into-post-compromise-operations/ (opens in a new tab)third-party-advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2015-3246 (opens in a new tab)government-resource
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- CISA KEV catalog (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2015-3246)Record last updated .