The pcre_compile function in pcre_compile.c in PCRE before 8.38 mishandles certain […
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 17 fixed, 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-119 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
The pcre_compile function in pcre_compile.c in PCRE before 8.38 mishandles certain [: nesting, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted regular expression, as demonstrated by a JavaScript RegExp object encountered by Konqueror.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 22
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:pcre:pcre:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 8.38 | Vulnerable | PCRE |
| cpe:2.3:o:oracle:linux:7:-:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7 | Vulnerable | Oracle |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:22:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 22 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.2 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.3 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.4 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.5 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.6 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.7 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
- cpe:2.3:a:pcre:pcre:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 8.38 Vulnerable ·PCRE
- cpe:2.3:o:oracle:linux:7:-:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7 Vulnerable ·Oracle
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:22:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 22 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.2 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.3 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.4 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.5 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.6 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:7.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.7 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
Show 12 more CPE
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.2 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.3 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.4 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.6 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.7 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.2 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.3 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.6 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:7.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.7 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:php:php:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.5.0 to before 5.5.32; 5.6.0 to before 5.6.18; 7.0.0 to before 7.0.3 | Vulnerable | PHP |
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.2 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.3 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.4 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.6 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.7 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.2 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.3 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.6 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:7.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.7 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:php:php:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.5.0 to before 5.5.32; 5.6.0 to before 5.6.18; 7.0.0 to before 7.0.3 Vulnerable ·PHP
Remediation
Red Hat 3 advisories
- RHSA-2016:2750 Released 2016-11-15 · Red Hat rating Moderaterh-php56 security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 6) rh-php56-2.3-1.el6, rh-php56-php-5.6.25-1.el6, rh-php56-php-bcmath-5.6.25-1.el6 +30
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) rh-php56-2.3-1.el7, rh-php56-php-5.6.25-1.el7, rh-php56-php-bcmath-5.6.25-1.el7 +28
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 6.7) rh-php56-2.3-1.el6, rh-php56-php-5.6.25-1.el6, rh-php56-php-bcmath-5.6.25-1.el6 +30
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.2) rh-php56-2.3-1.el7, rh-php56-php-5.6.25-1.el7, rh-php56-php-bcmath-5.6.25-1.el7 +28
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.3) rh-php56-2.3-1.el7, rh-php56-php-5.6.25-1.el7, rh-php56-php-bcmath-5.6.25-1.el7 +28
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 6) rh-php56-2.3-1.el6, rh-php56-php-5.6.25-1.el6, rh-php56-php-bcmath-5.6.25-1.el6 +30
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) rh-php56-2.3-1.el7, rh-php56-php-5.6.25-1.el7, rh-php56-php-bcmath-5.6.25-1.el7 +28
- RHSA-2016:1132 Released 2016-05-26 · Red Hat rating Importantrh-mariadb100-mariadb security update
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 6) rh-mariadb100-mariadb-1:10.0.25-4.el6, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-bench-1:10.0.25-4.el6, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-common-1:10.0.25-4.el6 +6
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) rh-mariadb100-mariadb-1:10.0.25-4.el7, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-bench-1:10.0.25-4.el7, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-common-1:10.0.25-4.el7 +6
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 6.6) rh-mariadb100-mariadb-1:10.0.25-4.el6, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-bench-1:10.0.25-4.el6, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-common-1:10.0.25-4.el6 +6
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 6.7) rh-mariadb100-mariadb-1:10.0.25-4.el6, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-bench-1:10.0.25-4.el6, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-common-1:10.0.25-4.el6 +6
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.1) rh-mariadb100-mariadb-1:10.0.25-4.el7, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-bench-1:10.0.25-4.el7, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-common-1:10.0.25-4.el7 +6
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.2) rh-mariadb100-mariadb-1:10.0.25-4.el7, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-bench-1:10.0.25-4.el7, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-common-1:10.0.25-4.el7 +6
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 6) rh-mariadb100-mariadb-1:10.0.25-4.el6, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-bench-1:10.0.25-4.el6, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-common-1:10.0.25-4.el6 +6
- Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) rh-mariadb100-mariadb-1:10.0.25-4.el7, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-bench-1:10.0.25-4.el7, rh-mariadb100-mariadb-common-1:10.0.25-4.el7 +6
- RHSA-2016:1025 Released 2016-05-11 · Red Hat rating Importantpcre security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client (v. 7) pcre-8.32-15.el7_2.1
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client Optional (v. 7) pcre-devel-8.32-15.el7_2.1, pcre-static-8.32-15.el7_2.1, pcre-tools-8.32-15.el7_2.1
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode (v. 7) pcre-8.32-15.el7_2.1
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional (v. 7) pcre-devel-8.32-15.el7_2.1, pcre-static-8.32-15.el7_2.1, pcre-tools-8.32-15.el7_2.1
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) pcre-8.32-15.el7_2.1, pcre-8.32-15.el7_2.1.ppc, pcre-devel-8.32-15.el7_2.1 +1
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Optional (v. 7) pcre-static-8.32-15.el7_2.1, pcre-static-8.32-15.el7_2.1.ppc, pcre-tools-8.32-15.el7_2.1
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) pcre-8.32-15.el7_2.1, pcre-devel-8.32-15.el7_2.1
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation Optional (v. 7) pcre-static-8.32-15.el7_2.1, pcre-tools-8.32-15.el7_2.1
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Web Server 3 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Software Collections | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1025 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1025 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1025 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1025 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1025 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1025 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1025 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1025 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 6) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1132, RHSA-2016:2750 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1132, RHSA-2016:2750 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 6.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1132 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 6.7) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1132, RHSA-2016:2750 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.1) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1132 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1132, RHSA-2016:2750 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.3) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:2750 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 6) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1132, RHSA-2016:2750 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2016:1132, RHSA-2016:2750 |
Not affected: 7 products
- Red Hat Directory Server 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Web Server 1
- Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Web Server 2
- Red Hat Software Collections
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2015-8391
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-86ch-fq45-3c2j
References
Advisory 9
- [oss-security] 20151128 Re: Heap Overflow in PCRE
- RHSA-2016:1132
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/linuxbulletinapr2016-2952096.html
- http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=isg3T1023886
- RHSA-2016:1025
- RHSA-2016:2750
- FEDORA-2015-eb896290d3
- https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/kb/docDisplay?docId=emr_na-c05240731
- GLSA-201607-02
Sources
- CVE-2015-8391 · CVE Program
- CVE-2015-8391 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-86ch-fq45-3c2j · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2015-8391 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences