CVE-2017-17562

Exp

Embedthis GoAhead before 3.6.5 allows remote code execution if CGI is enabled and a CGI program is dynamically linked. This is a result of initializing the environment of forked CGI scripts using untrusted HTTP request parameters in the cgiHandler function in cgi.c. When combined with the glibc dynamic linker, this behaviour can be abused for remote code execution using special parameter names such as LD_PRELOAD. An attacker can POST their shared object payload in the body of the request, and reference it using /proc/self/fd/0.

Published: 2017-12-12 Last update: 2026-04-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2017-17562 is rated Critical Active Threat (94.3/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 96.33%, 100th percentile). CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2021-12-10) affecting Embedthis / GoAhead. Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. EPSS rose +1.99% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. The CISA remediation deadline has passed—treat as an emergency patch priority.

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

CISA KEV Record for CVE-2017-17562

Name: Embedthis GoAhead Remote Code Execution Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2021-12-10

Action due: 2022-06-10

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2017-17562

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
43877 exploit_db edb 2018-01-24 Exploit-DB ↗
43360 exploit_db edb 2017-12-18 Exploit-DB ↗
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2017-17562

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 2026-06-15 94.34% 96.33% +1.99%
2 2026-02-14 94.13% 94.34% +0.20%
3 2026-01-15 — 94.13% —

Full EPSS history (16 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2017-17562

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.1 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
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:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.2 5.9 [email protected]
8.1 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
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:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.2 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
6.8 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 8.6 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2017-17562

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2017-17562

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
embedthis goahead < 3.6.5 cpe:2.3:a:embedthis:goahead:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle integrated_lights_out_manager 3.0 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:integrated_lights_out_manager:3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle integrated_lights_out_manager 4.0 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:integrated_lights_out_manager:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2017-17562

URL Tags
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2018-3678067.html Patch Third Party Advisory
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040702 Broken Link Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://github.com/elttam/advisories/tree/master/CVE-2017-17562 Broken Link Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/embedthis/goahead/commit/6f786c123196eb622625a920d54048629a7caa74 Broken Link Patch Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/embedthis/goahead/issues/249 Broken Link Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory
https://www.elttam.com.au/blog/goahead/ Broken Link Exploit Patch Third Party Advisory
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/43360/ Exploit Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/43877/ Exploit Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2017-17562 US Government Resource
cvelogic Threat Intelligence