CVE-2012-3520 Auth bypass in n/a

What is CVE-2012-3520?

CVE-2012-3520 is a low-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 3 Oct 2012. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

The Netlink implementation in the Linux kernel before 3.2.30 does not properly handle messages that lack SCM_CREDENTIALS data, which might allow local users to spoof Netlink communication via a crafted message, as demonstrated by a message to (1) Avahi or (2) NetworkManager.

Weakness: CWE-287

Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-3520?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2012-3520?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

Upgrade, and rotate credentials and sessions that may have been exposed. More about Authentication bypass.

Is CVE-2012-3520 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-3520 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

• CVE-2026-53266 Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2013-6282 Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2022-0185 Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2013-2094 Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2026-53362 Linux Kernel Unspecified Exploited High 7.8

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2012-3520, GHSA-fxmm-x2w5-24cg.