CVE-2014-6278
GNU — GNU Bash OS Command Injection Vulnerability
GNU · CWE-78 — Operating system command injection · in CISA KEV since 2025-10-02
EVRS 87 of 100 Immediate
Patch Immediately
Rank 246 of 2,960 tracked
Why it scores 87
Evidence available: 6 of 7 signalsListed in the CISA KEV catalog, and an EPSS probability of 0.996.
- CISA KEVApplied
- RansomwareDid not apply
- Vendor exploitationDid not apply
- EPSSApplied
- Microsoft Exploitability IndexNot applicable
- Pre-patch disclosureNo data
- KEV recencyDid not apply
- CVSSApplied
The band answers “how soon”, not “how bad”. No data for: Pre-patch disclosure. Why some signals show no data
Fix
Patch or fixed version identifiedCISA required action
- This vulnerability could affect an open-source component, third-party library, protocol, or proprietary implementation that could be used by different products. For more information, please see
- support.broadcom.com/…/23467
- sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/…/cisco-sa-20140926-bash
- www.ibm.com/…/security-bulletin-update-vulnerabilities-bash-affect-aix-toolbox-linux-applications-cve-2014-6271-cve-2014-6277-cve-2014-6278-cve-2014-7169-cve-2014-7186-and-cve-2014-7187
- nvd.nist.gov/…/CVE-2014-6278
Fixed in
bash -> 4.3-7ubuntu1.5 | bash -> 4.3-9.2
Affected versions
- bash
1.14.01.14.11.14.21.14.31.14.41.14.51.14.61.14.72.02.012.01.12.022.02.12.032.042.053.03.0.163.13.23.2.484.04.14.24.3
Remediation
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Fixed versions from NVD.
Evidence
Each value with its source| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CVSS base scoreHow severe the flaw is in itself. It does not say how likely an attack is. | 8.8 | NVD |
| FIRST EPSSFIRST's estimate of the chance this is exploited in the next 30 days, and how that ranks against all CVEs. | 0.996 (99.95th pctl) | FIRST EPSS |
| Actively exploitedWhether a source of record has confirmed attacks using it in the wild. | Confirmed | CISA KEV |
| Ransomware campaign useWhether CISA has seen ransomware operators use it. | Unknown or none | CISA KEV |
| CISA remediation deadlineThe date US federal agencies must have fixed or mitigated it. | 2025-10-23 · KEV since 2025 · listed over a year | CISA KEV |
| Public exploit moduleA module existing is not the same as active exploitation. | Public module exists | Metasploit |
| EUVD cross-referenceENISA's record: CVSS 8.8 (v3.1), assigned by debian. | Listed | ENISA EUVD |
Description
NVDGNU Bash through 4.3 bash43-026 does not properly parse function definitions in the values of environment variables, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted environment, as demonstrated by vectors involving the ForceCommand feature in OpenSSH sshd, the mod_cgi and mod_cgid modules in the Apache HTTP Server, scripts executed by unspecified DHCP clients, and other situations in which setting the environment occurs across a privilege boundary from Bash execution. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-6271, CVE-2014-7169, and CVE-2014-6277.
What CISA says to do
- This vulnerability could affect an open-source component, third-party library, protocol, or proprietary implementation that could be used by different products. For more information, please see
- support.broadcom.com/…/23467
- sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/…/cisco-sa-20140926-bash
- www.ibm.com/…/security-bulletin-update-vulnerabilities-bash-affect-aix-toolbox-linux-applications-cve-2014-6271-cve-2014-6277-cve-2014-6278-cve-2014-7169-cve-2014-7186-and-cve-2014-7187
- nvd.nist.gov/…/CVE-2014-6278
Public module
Metasploit lists the best-ranked (excellent) of 3 public modules for this CVE: Apache mod_cgi Bash Environment Variable Code Injection (Shellshock) (multi/http/apache_mod_cgi_bash_env_exec). A module existing is not the same as active exploitation; see metasploit.com.