What is the CVSS score of CVE-2015-3246?

CVE-2015-3246 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.1 (Medium). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 21.4%.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2015-3246?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2015-3246. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 21.4%.

Libuser CVE-2015-3246

MEDIUM

Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls (CWE-264)

2015-08-11 secalert@redhat.com

Privilege Escalation Denial Of Service Red Hat Libuser

5.1

CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: redhat

Severity by source

Vendor (redhat) PRIMARY

5.1 MEDIUM

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

Primary rating from Vendor (redhat) · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorVendor: redhat

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

High

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

None

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Severity Changed

Aug 26, 2026 - 18:23 NVD

HIGH MEDIUM

CVSS changed

Aug 26, 2026 - 18:23 NVD

7.2 (HIGH) 5.1 (MEDIUM)

Added to CISA KEV

Aug 26, 2026 - 17:47 CISA

CVE Published

Aug 11, 2015 - 14:59 cve.org

HIGH 7.2

DescriptionCVE.org

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.

AnalysisAI

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. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 21.4%.

Technical ContextAI

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-264. 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. Affected products include: Redhat Libuser. Version information: before 0.56.13.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Apply vendor patches when available. Implement network segmentation and monitoring as interim mitigations.