Unrated

FreeBSD pkg bootstrap signature validation bypass

IdentifiersCVE-2015-5676CWE-347

CVE-2015-5676 affects the FreeBSD pkg(7) bootstrap utility. When the signature_type option in pkg.conf(5) is set to an unsupported method, the bootstrap logic incorrectly behaves as though signature_type were set to "none" rather than rejecting the configuration or failing closed. This causes package signature verification to be bypassed during bootstrap, enabling acceptance of an untrusted pkg(8) package. The issue is specifically in the handling of unsupported signature methods by the bootstrap utility.

For your environment

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

An attacker positioned as a man-in-the-middle on the network path may be able to bypass package signature validation during pkg bootstrap and cause installation of a malicious pkg(8) binary/package. This can compromise the integrity of the package management chain and may lead to execution of attacker-supplied software with the privileges used for bootstrap, typically resulting in full system compromise.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

No workaround is available according to the vendor advisory. The default FreeBSD configuration is not affected because it uses the supported "fingerprint" signature method. Administrators should ensure signature_type is configured only to supported values and avoid non-default unsupported methods until patched.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade FreeBSD to a supported stable or release/security branch containing the fix. On supported RELEASE systems, apply updates using freebsd-update. Alternatively, apply the vendor-supplied patch referenced in FreeBSD advisory EN-15:15/pkg (https://security.FreeBSD.org/patches/EN-15:15/pkg.patch) and rebuild/reinstall the affected components.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

FreebsdFreebsdoperating_system

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

1 sources tracked across advisories and community write-ups. News coverage will land here when it surfaces.

1 SOURCESView more in app

No news coverage yet. Advisories and community discussion only.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

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Detection signatures

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Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity