CVE-2012-6700

The decode_search function in dhcp.c in dhcpcd 3.x does not properly free allocated memory, which allows remote DHCP servers to cause a denial of service via a crafted response.

Published: 2016-04-11 Last update: 2026-05-06 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2012-6700 is rated Moderate Risk (52.3/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.51%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2012-6700

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-03-30 0.61% 0.51% -0.10%
2 2025-03-29 0.50% 0.61% +0.11%
3 2023-03-07 — 0.50% —

Full EPSS history (4 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2012-6700

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.5 3.0 HIGH
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 3.6 [email protected]
5.0 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:N)
No integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 10.0 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2012-6700

OS Trackers for CVE-2012-6700

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2012-6700 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (dhcpcd), 3 status rows across 3 suites (forky, sid, trixie): resolved 3. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2012-6700
ubuntu medium CVE-2012-6700 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (dhcpcd), 8 status rows across 8 suites (precise, trusty, upstream, vivid, wily, xenial, yakkety, zesty): DNE 4, ignored 2, not-affected 1, released 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2012-6700

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2012-6700

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
debian debian_linux 7.0 cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
dhcpcd_project dhcpcd 3.1.9 cpe:2.3:a:dhcpcd_project:dhcpcd:3.1.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
dhcpcd_project dhcpcd 3.2.0 cpe:2.3:a:dhcpcd_project:dhcpcd:3.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
dhcpcd_project dhcpcd 3.2.1 cpe:2.3:a:dhcpcd_project:dhcpcd:3.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
dhcpcd_project dhcpcd 3.2.2 cpe:2.3:a:dhcpcd_project:dhcpcd:3.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
dhcpcd_project dhcpcd 3.2.3 cpe:2.3:a:dhcpcd_project:dhcpcd:3.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2012-6700

cvelogic Threat Intelligence