← Vulnerability feed

Vulnerability record · CVE-2012-4409 · published 21 November 2012

CVE-2012-4409: Mcrypt memory buffer overflow vulnerability

MMcrypt · Mcrypt

Stack-based buffer overflow in the check_file_head function in extra.c in mcrypt 2.6.8 and earlier allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an encrypted file with a crafted header containing long salt data that is not properly handled during decryption.

6.8 CVSS 2.0 Medium EPSS 15% · top 3.4% CWE-119 · Memory buffer overflow
6.8CVSS 2.0 base score
15%EPSS exploitation probability, 30 days
NoNot in CISA KEV
1Affected product versions listed by NVD
18References, 2 tagged exploit
16 Jun 2026Last modified by NVD

Description

Stack-based buffer overflow in the check_file_head function in extra.c in mcrypt 2.6.8 and earlier allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an encrypted file with a crafted header containing long salt data that is not properly handled during decryption.

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Affected products

1 vulnerable configurations from NVD's CPE data, grouped by vendor and product.

References

LinkTags
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-September/086519.html
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-September/087542.html
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-September/088281.html
http://packetstormsecurity.org/files/116268/mcrypt-2.6.8-Buffer-Overflow-Proof-Of-Concept.html Exploit
http://secunia.com/advisories/50507 Vendor Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/51010
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/06/4
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1027532
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=855029
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-September/086519.html
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-September/087542.html
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2012-September/088281.html
http://packetstormsecurity.org/files/116268/mcrypt-2.6.8-Buffer-Overflow-Proof-Of-Concept.html Exploit
http://secunia.com/advisories/50507 Vendor Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/51010
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/06/4
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1027532
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=855029

Track CVE-2012-4409 inside VULONE

Watch it alongside the ransomware crews, C2 infrastructure and forum chatter that reference it, query it through the API and pull it into your SIEM over TAXII.

Start free Open in platform

Related vulnerabilities

Same products first, then exploited flaws of the same weakness class.

6.8CVE-2012-4426Mcrypt vulnerabilityMultiple format string vulnerabilities in mcrypt 2.6.8 and earlier might allow user-assisted remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or…EPSS 4.7%6.8CVE-2012-4527Mcrypt memory buffer overflow vulnerabilityStack-based buffer overflow in mcrypt 2.6.8 and earlier allows user-assisted remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execu…EPSS 7.7%8.8CVE-2026-8452Citrix NetScaler ADC and Gateway memory buffer overflow causes DoSCVE-2026-8452 is a memory buffer overflow (CWE-119) in Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway that leads to unpredictable or erroneous behavior a…KEVEPSS 1.0%analysed8.8CVE-2009-3459Adobe Reader and Acrobat heap buffer overflow via crafted PDFAdobe Reader and Acrobat 7.x before 7.1.4, 8.x before 8.1.7, and 9.x before 9.2 contain a heap-based buffer overflow (CWE-122) triggered by a crafted…KEVEPSS 87%analysed9.8CVE-2008-4250Microsoft Windows Server service RPC path canonicalization buffer overflowThe Server service in multiple Windows versions fails to properly handle path canonicalization, allowing a crafted RPC request to overflow a buffer a…KEVEPSS 99%analysed8.8CVE-2025-31277Apple WebKit memory corruption via malicious web contentApple WebKit fails to handle memory correctly when processing crafted web content, leading to memory corruption across Safari, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tv…KEVEPSS 1.6%analysed8.8CVE-2026-3910Google Chrome V8 improper implementation allows sandbox code executionChrome before 146.0.7680.75 contains an inappropriate implementation in the V8 JavaScript engine, classified as code injection and memory buffer over…KEVEPSS 1.0%analysed8.8CVE-2008-0015Microsoft DirectShow Video ActiveX Control Stack Buffer OverflowA stack-based buffer overflow in the CComVariant::ReadFromStream function in the Active Template Library (ATL) is reachable through the MPEG2TuneRequ…KEVEPSS 77%analysed

Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database (record CVE-2012-4409), CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS (scores of 2026-09-26). This page is refreshed as NVD updates the record.