How severe is CVE-2018-12615?

CVE-2018-12615 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity low, and availability none.

Is CVE-2018-12615 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (64th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-12615?

CVE-2018-12615 affects Phusion Passenger. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-12615?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2018-12615 published?

CVE-2018-12615 was published on 2018-06-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-12615

CVE-2018-12615 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Phusion Passenger with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3. 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-732.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.3)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (64th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-732
Affected product: Phusion Passenger
Published: 2018-06-21
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in switchGroup() in agent/ExecHelper/ExecHelperMain.cpp in Phusion Passenger before 5.3.2. The set of groups (gidset) is not set correctly, leaving it up to randomness (i.e., uninitialized memory) which supplementary groups are actually being set while lowering privileges.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-12615?: An issue was discovered in switchGroup() in agent/ExecHelper/ExecHelperMain.cpp in Phusion Passenger before 5.3.2. The set of groups (gidset) is not set correctly, leaving it up to randomness (i.e., uninitialized memory) which supplementary groups are actually being set while lowering privileges.
How severe is CVE-2018-12615?: CVE-2018-12615 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity low, and availability none.
Is CVE-2018-12615 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (64th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-12615?: CVE-2018-12615 affects Phusion Passenger. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-12615?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2018-12615 published?: CVE-2018-12615 was published on 2018-06-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://github.com/phusion/passenger/commit/4e97fdb86d0a0141ec9a052c6e691fcd07bb45c8

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:phusion:passenger:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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