libdbus 1.5.x and earlier, when used in setuid or other privileged programs in X.org and possibly other products, allows local users to gain privileges and execute arbitrary code via the DBUS_SYSTEM_BUS_ADDRESS environment variable. NOTE: libdbus maintainers state that this is a vulnerability in the applications that do not cleanse environment variables, not in libdbus itself: "we do not support use of libdbus in setuid binaries that do not sanitize their environment before their first call into libdbus."
CVE-2012-3524
- No confirmed exploitation signals yet
A fix is available — apply it.
- CVSS v3
- —
- EG Score
- 0.0(none)
- EPSS
- 90.4%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
September 18, 2012
Last Modified
April 29, 2026
References (46)
- secalert@redhathttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-09/msg00009.html
- secalert@redhathttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-09/msg00015.html
- secalert@redhathttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-10/msg00000.html
- secalert@redhathttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2012-10/msg00094.html
- secalert@redhathttp://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-1261.html
- secalert@redhathttp://secunia.com/advisories/50537
- secalert@redhathttp://secunia.com/advisories/50544
- secalert@redhathttp://secunia.com/advisories/50710
- secalert@redhathttp://stealth.openwall.net/null/dzug.c
- secalert@redhathttp://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/21323
- secalert@redhathttp://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2013:070
- secalert@redhathttp://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2013:083
- secalert@redhathttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/07/10/4
- secalert@redhathttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/07/26/1
- secalert@redhathttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/12/6
Patch Availability(3)
| Vendor / Ecosystem | Fixed in / Patch | Released | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ubuntu | libdbus-1-3 (1.4.6-1ubuntu6.2) @ natty | 2026-05-29 | ubuntu |
| ubuntu | libdbus-1-3 (1.4.14-1ubuntu1.3) @ oneiric | 2026-05-29 | ubuntu |
| redhat | dbus-1:1.2.24-7.el6_3 | 2012-09-13 | redhat |
Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.
All Vendor Advisories
(3)
Every vendor that published an advisory referencing this CVE — pulled from our cve_vendor_advisories aggregation. Click any row for the vendor's original advisory page.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 10× in last 7d / 45× 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.
- 2026-07-06 16:23 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-05 12:29 UTCOSV refresh
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- 2026-06-21 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-16 23:35 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-14 23:14 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-29 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-29 02:42 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-29 02:42 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-05-29 02:42 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 07:16 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 07:16 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 07:16 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-19 15:33 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
Publicly available exploits
(1 reference)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-21323First seen Jul 17, 2012
libdbus - 'DBUS_SYSTEM_BUS_ADDRESS' Local Privilege Escalation
Open source ↗
Related CVEs(same vendor)
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2012-3524?
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Is CVE-2012-3524 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2012-3524?
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