HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2015-5291
MEDIUM

CVE-2015-5291

CWE-119Published: November 2, 2015· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

6.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Heap-based buffer overflow in PolarSSL 1.x before 1.2.17 and ARM mbed TLS (formerly PolarSSL) 1.3.x before 1.3.14 and 2.x before 2.1.2 allows remote SSL servers to cause a denial of service (client crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a long hostname to the server name indication (SNI) extension, which is not properly handled when creating a ClientHello message. NOTE: this identifier has been SPLIT per ADT3 due to different affected version ranges. See CVE-2015-8036 for the session ticket issue that was introduced in 1.3.0.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2015-5291 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-119): Buffer overflow vulnerabilities can lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service by corrupting adjacent memory.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityM
Privileges Req.
User Interaction
Scope
Impact
ConfidentialityP
IntegrityP
AvailabilityP
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
openSUSE2 product(s)
leapopensuse
polarssl1 product(s)
polarssl
trustedfirmware1 product(s)
mbed tls
Source: NVD CPE · 9 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttp://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-November/170317.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-October/169625.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-October/169765.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-12/msg00013.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2015-12/msg00119.html
ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3468
ADVISORYhttps://guidovranken.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/cve-2015-5291.pdf
ADVISORYhttps://guidovranken.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/cve-2015-5291/
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201706-18
ADVISORYhttps://tls.mbed.org/tech-updates/security-advisories/mbedtls-security-advisory-2015-01
ADVISORYhttp://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-November/170317.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-October/169625.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-October/169765.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-12/msg00013.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2015-12/msg00119.html
ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3468
ADVISORYhttps://guidovranken.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/cve-2015-5291.pdf
ADVISORYhttps://guidovranken.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/cve-2015-5291/
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201706-18
ADVISORYhttps://tls.mbed.org/tech-updates/security-advisories/mbedtls-security-advisory-2015-01

All References (20)

→
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-November/170317.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-October/169625.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-October/169765.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-12/msg00013.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2015-12/msg00119.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3468Third Party Advisory
→
https://guidovranken.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/cve-2015-5291.pdfThird Party Advisory
→
https://guidovranken.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/cve-2015-5291/Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201706-18Third Party Advisory
→
https://tls.mbed.org/tech-updates/security-advisories/mbedtls-security-advisory-2015-01Vendor Advisory
→
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-November/170317.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-October/169625.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-October/169765.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-12/msg00013.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2015-12/msg00119.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2015-5291
CVSS Score6.8 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-119
CISA KEVNo
Affected5 vendor(s)
PublishedNov 2, 2015

Related CVEs (CWE-119)

CVE-2011-0264
10.0
CVE-2012-0243
10.0
CVE-2011-0262
10.0
CVE-2011-0263
10.0
CVE-2011-0265
10.0
CVE-1999-0876
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2015-5291 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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