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CVE-2014-6278

HIGH 8.8 KNOWN EXPLOITED PoC CATALOGUED ALL-YEARS

Published 2014-09-30 · Last modified 2025-12-30 · debian · NVD: Analyzed

GNU 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.

ACTIVELY EXPLOITED

Confirmed exploited in the wild — in CISA KEV since 2025-10-02. Patch or mitigate now.

Exploitation likelihood

99.7%chance of exploitation in 30 days · 100th percentile

● In CISA KEV (2025-10-02)● Catalogued PoC◆ SSVC: exploitation active, automatable no

Impact if exploited

8.8CVSS 3.1 · HIGH · ADP

  • ConfidentialityHigh
  • IntegrityHigh
  • AvailabilityHigh

What an attacker needs

  • ✓Access: Reachable over the network — no local access needed
  • ✓Privileges: No account or privileges required
  • ⚠User interaction: A user must take an action (click / open a file)
  • ✓Complexity: No special conditions — reliably repeatable

✓ lowers the bar for an attacker · ⚠ raises it

Proof of concept

Public PoC or exploit resources are catalogued below.

Listed by the named source; Vulnpedia has not tested these resources.

PoC data: JSON

Resource commands

searchsploit --cve CVE-2014-6278 && searchsploit -m 39887Fetch the ExploitDB PoC locally; review the code before running it.
searchsploit --cve CVE-2014-6278 && searchsploit -m 39568Fetch the ExploitDB PoC locally; review the code before running it.
searchsploit --cve CVE-2014-6278 && searchsploit -m 34900Fetch the ExploitDB PoC locally; review the code before running it.
searchsploit --cve CVE-2014-6278 && searchsploit -m 36933Fetch the ExploitDB PoC locally; review the code before running it.
searchsploit --cve CVE-2014-6278 && searchsploit -m 34860Fetch the ExploitDB PoC locally; review the code before running it.
curl -s https://vulnpedia.com/cve/CVE-2014-6278/poc.jsonMachine-readable PoC index for this CVE (for automation).

Search for new PoCs

Search GitHub now — results may be empty or unverified.

Tracked sources are checked weekly for the full archive, including PoCs published after the original disclosure. A later release appears after a tracked source lists it and a refresh succeeds.

Data snapshot:

Affected

Vendors Gnu

Products Bash

Weakness (CWE)

  • CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References and research data (JSON)

Vendor product assessments

  • bash as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 · known not affected

    Vendor assessment for this product only.

    Reason: vulnerable code not present

    pkg:rpm/redhat/bash?arch=src

    Red Hat · CVE-2014-6278 · Updated 2025-11-21T12:27:26+00:00
  • bash as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 · known not affected

    Vendor assessment for this product only.

    Reason: vulnerable code not present

    pkg:rpm/redhat/bash?arch=src

    Red Hat · CVE-2014-6278 · Updated 2025-11-21T12:27:26+00:00
  • bash as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 · known not affected

    Vendor assessment for this product only.

    Reason: vulnerable code not present

    pkg:rpm/redhat/bash?arch=src

    Red Hat · CVE-2014-6278 · Updated 2025-11-21T12:27:26+00:00
  • bash-doc as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 · known not affected

    Vendor assessment for this product only.

    Reason: vulnerable code not present

    pkg:rpm/redhat/bash-doc

    Red Hat · CVE-2014-6278 · Updated 2025-11-21T12:27:26+00:00
  • bash.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 · known not affected

    Vendor assessment for this product only.

    Reason: vulnerable code not present

    pkg:rpm/redhat/bash?arch=src

    Red Hat · CVE-2014-6278 · Updated 2025-11-21T12:27:26+00:00
  • bash as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 · known not affected

    Vendor assessment for this product only.

    Reason: vulnerable code not present

    pkg:rpm/redhat/bash?arch=src

    Red Hat · CVE-2014-6278 · Updated 2025-11-21T12:27:26+00:00
  • bash-doc as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 · known not affected

    Vendor assessment for this product only.

    Reason: vulnerable code not present

    pkg:rpm/redhat/bash-doc

    Red Hat · CVE-2014-6278 · Updated 2025-11-21T12:27:26+00:00
  • bash.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 · known not affected

    Vendor assessment for this product only.

    Reason: vulnerable code not present

    pkg:rpm/redhat/bash?arch=src

    Red Hat · CVE-2014-6278 · Updated 2025-11-21T12:27:26+00:00

Additional exploitation reports

Source-specific reports, separate from CISA KEV. Repeated observations from one source are not independent confirmations.

Known Affected Software Configurations

VendorProductVersion range
GnuBash1.14.0
GnuBash1.14.1
GnuBash1.14.2
GnuBash1.14.3
GnuBash1.14.4
GnuBash1.14.5
GnuBash1.14.6
GnuBash1.14.7
GnuBash2.0
GnuBash2.01
GnuBash2.01.1
GnuBash2.02
GnuBash2.02.1
GnuBash2.03
GnuBash2.04
GnuBash2.05
GnuBash2.05
GnuBash2.05
GnuBash3.0
GnuBash3.0.16
GnuBash3.1
GnuBash3.2
GnuBash3.2.48
GnuBash4.0
GnuBash4.0
GnuBash4.1
GnuBash4.2
GnuBash4.3

All CVSS metrics

  • HIGH 8.8 v3.1 · ADP Primary
    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • HIGH 8.8 v3.1 · NVD Secondary
    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • HIGH 10 v2.0 · NVD Primary
    AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

References

Exploit-tagged references (not proof of a PoC)

Patches & mitigations

Advisories

Technical & other

Sources: NVD · CVE.org · All sources and attribution · EPSS