CVE-2014-3556
6.8 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2014-3556 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting f5 nginx. It was published on December 29, 2014 and has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.8 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.8, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
The STARTTLS implementation in mail/ngx_mail_smtp_handler.c in the SMTP proxy in nginx 1.5.x and 1.6.x before 1.6.1 and 1.7.x before 1.7.4 does not properly restrict I/O buffering, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to insert commands into encrypted SMTP sessions by sending a cleartext command that is processed after TLS is in place, related to a "plaintext command injection" attack, a similar issue to CVE-2011-0411.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from f5. Update nginx to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| f5 | nginx | >= 1.5.6, < 1.6.1 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2014-3556?
CVE-2014-3556 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting f5 nginx. It was published on December 29, 2014 and has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.8 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2014-3556?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.8, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2014-3556?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from f5. Update nginx to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2014-3556?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2014-3556 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
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