glibc: Unexpected closing of nss_files databases after lookups causes denial of service
Published Mar 27, 2015
5.0
MEDIUMCVSS 2.0
EPSS 5.61%
Description
DB_LOOKUP in nss_files/files-XXX.c in the Name Service Switch (NSS) in GNU C Library (aka glibc or libc6) 2.21 and earlier does not properly check if a file is open, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) by performing a look-up on a database while iterating over it, which triggers the file pointer to be reset.
Affected products
No data.
Configuration 1
- 11
- 11
- 11.0
- 11.0
- 11.0
Configuration 3
- 12.04
- 14.04
- 15.10
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
glibc-0:2.17-78.el7
Fixed · RHSA-2015:0327
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
glibc
Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
glibc
Will not fix
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | glibc-0:2.17-78.el7 | Fixed | RHSA-2015:0327 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | glibc | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | glibc | Will not fix | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
Red Hat statement
This issue affects the versions of glibc as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6. Red Hat Product Security has rated this issue as having Low security impact. A future update may address this issue. For additional information, refer to the Issue Severity Classification: https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 is now in Production 3 Phase of the support and maintenance life cycle. This issue has been rated as having Low security impact and is not currently planned to be addressed in future updates. For additional information, refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle: https://access.redhat.com/support/policy/updates/errata/.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
No CVSS v3.1 score for this CVE.
No CVSS v3.0 score for this CVE.
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
No CISA SSVC assessment for this CVE yet.
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.
Score over time
2022–2026- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Percentile over time
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Table of values (12 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | 5.61% (0.05609) | 92.67th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 6.36% (0.06359) | 92.73th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Oct 1, 2025 | 2.99% (0.02992) | 86.09th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 1.58% (0.01585) | 80.35th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 12, 2024 | 1.69% (0.01686) | 88.21th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Jan 15, 2024 | 2.09% (0.02089) | 87.90th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 1.61% (0.01612) | 85.44th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 2.17% (0.02172) | 80.77th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 13, 2023 | 2.17% (0.02172) | 80.28th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 3, 2023 | 1.54% (0.01537) | 73.85th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Apr 1, 2022 | 2.17% (0.02172) | 78.91th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 4, 2022 | 2.17% (0.02172) | 57.73th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
References (13)
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-08/msg00019.html vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEMailing List
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-02/msg00036.html vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEMailing List
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-0327.html vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATThird Party Advisory
- http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3480 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_DEBIANThird Party Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/73038 vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2985-1 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUThird Party Advisory
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2985-2 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUThird Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-8121 Vendor Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1165192 x_refsource_CONFIRMExploitIssue Tracking
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-8121
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201602-02 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_GENTOOThird Party Advisory
- https://sourceware.org/ml/libc-alpha/2015-02/msg00617.html mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTExploit
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2014-8121
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.