# CVE-2012-5356: Security feature bypass in n/a

> Attackers can install malicious GPG keys via MITM, enabling arbitrary package installation and potential code execution on Ubuntu systems.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.8 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Oct 2012
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-724f-83mw-fgp7

## What is CVE-2012-5356?

CVE-2012-5356 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 10 Oct 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The apt-add-repository tool in Ubuntu Software Properties 0.75.x before 0.75.10.3, 0.80.x before 0.80.9.2, 0.81.x before 0.81.13.5, 0.82.x before 0.82.7.3, and 0.92.x before 0.92.8 does not properly check PPA GPG keys imported from a keyserver, which allows remote attackers to install arbitrary package repository GPG keys via a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-5356?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Canonical Ubuntu Software Properties.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-5356?

No fix has been published for CVE-2012-5356 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2012-5356 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-5356 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-5356 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-5356 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 10 Oct 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-5356 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5356/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5356/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-5356
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-5356
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-5356

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5356/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.