The Command Line Interface (aka Server CLI or administration interface) in the master process in the reverse proxy server in Varnish before 2.1.0 does not require authentication for commands received through a TCP port, which allows remote attackers to (1) execute arbitrary code via a vcl.inline directive that provides a VCL configuration file containing inline C code; (2) change the ownership of the master process via param.set, stop, and start directives; (3) read the initial line of an arbitrary file via a vcl.load directive; or (4) conduct cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks that leverage a victim's location on a trusted network and improper input validation of directives. NOTE: the vendor disputes this report, saying that it is "fundamentally misguided and pointless.
CVE-2009-2936
- High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 64%
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- —
- EG Score
- 0.0(none)
- EG Risk
- 0EG Risk 0/100
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score. It fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability, so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. It is distinct from the 0–10 EG Score, which measures severity.
- EPSS
- 99.1%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
April 5, 2010
Last Modified
April 29, 2026
References (10)
- cve@mitrehttp://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2010-April/040359.html
- cve@mitrehttp://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/510360/100/0/threaded
- cve@mitrehttp://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/510368/100/0/threaded
- cve@mitrehttp://www.varnish-cache.org/changeset/3865
- cve@mitrehttp://www.varnish-cache.org/wiki/CLI
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2010-April/040359.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/510360/100/0/threaded
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/510368/100/0/threaded
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.varnish-cache.org/changeset/3865
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.varnish-cache.org/wiki/CLI
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 10× in last 7d / 36× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-23 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-23 07:49 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-07-23 00:59 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-23 00:37 UTCEG score recompute▼ 5.50
- 2026-07-23 00:04 UTCEG score recompute▲ 5.50
- 2026-07-22 21:43 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-22 14:03 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-06 02:32 UTCOSV refresh
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- 2026-06-30 23:19 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-17 13:44 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-31 00:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-29 13:40 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-29 12:10 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-29 12:10 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 11:29 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
Publicly available exploits
(3 references)Working exploit code is in the public domain (2 Metasploit modules) (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-35581First seen Dec 19, 2014
Varnish Cache CLI Interface - Remote Code Execution (Metasploit)
Open source ↗ - Metasploitauxiliary/scanner/varnish/varnish_cli_file_read✓ verifiedFirst seen Jan 1, 2009
Varnish Cache CLI File Read
Open source ↗ - Metasploitauxiliary/scanner/varnish/varnish_cli_login✓ verifiedFirst seen Jan 1, 2009
Varnish Cache CLI Login Utility
Open source ↗
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2009-2936?
When was CVE-2009-2936 disclosed?
Is CVE-2009-2936 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2009-2936?
Dependency Blast Radius
Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2009-2936
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