CVE-2017-2781

Exp

An exploitable heap buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the X509 certificate parsing functionality of InsideSecure MatrixSSL 3.8.7b. A specially crafted x509 certificate can cause a buffer overflow on the heap resulting in remote code execution. To trigger this vulnerability, a specially crafted x509 certificate must be presented to the vulnerable client or server application when initiating secure connection.

Published: 2017-06-22 Last update: 2026-05-13 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2017-2781 is rated High Exploit Risk (83.6/100): CVSS Critical severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 3.42%). 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

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

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2017-2781

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2017-2781

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 2026-02-23 4.58% 3.42% -1.15%
2 2025-03-30 8.55% 4.58% -3.97%
3 2025-03-29 — 8.55% —

Full EPSS history (17 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2017-2781

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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: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: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.
 3.9 5.9 [email protected]
8.1 3.0 HIGH
CVSS:3.0/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]
7.5 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/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:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
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.
 10.0 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2017-2781

OS Trackers for CVE-2017-2781

vendor priority summary link
ubuntu medium CVE-2017-2781 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (matrixssl), 9 status rows across 9 suites (artful, bionic, cosmic, disco, trusty, upstream, xenial, yakkety, zesty): DNE 8, needed 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2017-2781

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2017-2781

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
matrixssl matrixssl 3.8.7b cpe:2.3:a:matrixssl:matrixssl:3.8.7b:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2017-2781

URL Tags
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/99249 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2017-0277 Exploit Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
cvelogic Threat Intelligence