How severe is CVE-2012-6639?

CVE-2012-6639 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2012-6639 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2012-6639?

CVE-2012-6639 primarily affects Canonical Cloud-init. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2012-6639?

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-2012-6639 published?

CVE-2012-6639 was published on 2019-11-25 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2012-6639

CVE-2012-6639 is a high-severity vulnerability in Canonical Cloud-init with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-269.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
CVSS v2: 9.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (79th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-269
Affected product: Canonical Cloud-init
Published: 2019-11-25
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

An privilege elevation vulnerability exists in Cloud-init before 0.7.0 when requests to an untrusted system are submitted for EC2 instance data.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2012-6639?: An privilege elevation vulnerability exists in Cloud-init before 0.7.0 when requests to an untrusted system are submitted for EC2 instance data.
How severe is CVE-2012-6639?: CVE-2012-6639 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2012-6639 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2012-6639?: CVE-2012-6639 primarily affects Canonical Cloud-init. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2012-6639?: 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-2012-6639 published?: CVE-2012-6639 was published on 2019-11-25 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:canonical:cloud-init:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:suse:linux_enterprise_server:11:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:suse:linux_enterprise_server:11:sp3:*:*:*:*:*:*

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