CVE-2006-6165

CVE-2006-6165 is a high-severity vulnerability in Freebsd with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Description

ld.so in FreeBSD, NetBSD, and possibly other BSD distributions does not remove certain harmful environment variables, which allows local users to gain privileges by passing certain environment variables to loading processes. NOTE: this issue has been disputed by a third party, stating that it is the responsibility of the application to properly sanitize the environment

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2006-6165?
ld.so in FreeBSD, NetBSD, and possibly other BSD distributions does not remove certain harmful environment variables, which allows local users to gain privileges by passing certain environment variables to loading processes. NOTE: this issue has been disputed by a third party, stating that it is the responsibility of the application to properly sanitize the environment
How severe is CVE-2006-6165?
CVE-2006-6165 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2006-6165 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (26th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2006-6165?
CVE-2006-6165 primarily affects Freebsd. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2006-6165?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2006-6165 published?
CVE-2006-6165 was published on 2006-11-29 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (2)

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