# CVE-2015-3256: Memory corruption in n/a

> Local attackers can exploit memory corruption in PolicyKit's JavaScript rule evaluation to crash the daemon or potentially escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.6 (`AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 26 Oct 2015
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-779g-mjcq-vffm, RHSA-2016:0189

## What is CVE-2015-3256?

CVE-2015-3256 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Opensuse Opensuse, published on 26 Oct 2015. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

PolicyKit (aka polkit) before 0.113 allows local users to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and polkitd daemon crash) and possibly gain privileges via unspecified vectors, related to "javascript rule evaluation."

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2015-3256?

It affects 2 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `polkit` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-docs` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-docs` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-docs` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |
| `polkit-docs` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:0.112-6.el7_2 |

Products: Opensuse Opensuse, Polkit Project Polkit.

## How do I fix CVE-2015-3256?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2015-3256 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2015-3256 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- https://github.com/puglia-ryan/S-V-Project-Implementation-of-CVE-2015-3256 (github_poc): https://github.com/puglia-ryan/S-V-Project-Implementation-of-CVE-2015-3256

## Other vulnerabilities in Opensuse Opensuse

- [CVE-2015-5957](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5957/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2015-0491](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-0491/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2008-2388](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-2388/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2010-1866](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-1866/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2015-0492](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-0492/): Other in n/a (critical 9.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2015-3256 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2015-3256 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Opensuse Opensuse, published on 26 Oct 2015. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2015-3256 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Opensuse Opensuse. 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-2015-3256/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3256/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-3256
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-3256
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2015-3256

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3256/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.