# CVE-2012-5642: Command injection in n/a

> Remote attackers can trigger unsafe behavior in custom action files via crafted matches tag content, potentially leading to code execution.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 31 Dec 2012
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2012-5642, GHSA-mxxq-p5rj-2jcc

## What is CVE-2012-5642?

CVE-2012-5642 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 31 Dec 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

server/action.py in Fail2ban before 0.8.8 does not properly handle the content of the matches tag, which might allow remote attackers to trigger unsafe behavior in a custom action file via unspecified symbols in this content.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-5642?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Fail2ban Fail2ban.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-5642?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2012-5642 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-5642 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2007-4321](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-4321/): Denial of service in n/a (medium 6.8)
- [CVE-2021-32749](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-32749/): Possible RCE vulnerability in mailing action using mailutils (mail-whois) (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2013-7176](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-7176/): Denial of service in n/a (medium 5.0)
- [CVE-2013-7177](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-7177/): Denial of service in n/a (medium 5.0)
- [CVE-2013-2178](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2178/): Denial of service in n/a (medium 5.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-5642 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-5642 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 31 Dec 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-5642 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-2012-5642/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5642/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-5642
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-5642
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-5642

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5642/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.