# CVE-2015-5262: Denial of service vulnerability in org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient

> Remote attackers can cause a denial of service by hanging HTTPS calls due to ignored socket timeouts during SSL handshakes in Apache HttpComponents HttpClient.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/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:** 27 Oct 2015
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** CLSA-2026-1791370172, CLSA-2026-1791898676, DEBIAN-CVE-2015-5262, DLA-322-1, GHSA-fmj5-wv96-r2ch, MGASA-2015-0392, UBUNTU-CVE-2015-5262

## What is CVE-2015-5262?

CVE-2015-5262 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 27 Oct 2015. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

http/conn/ssl/SSLConnectionSocketFactory.java in Apache HttpComponents HttpClient before 4.3.6 ignores the http.socket.timeout configuration setting during an SSL handshake, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (HTTPS call hang) via unspecified vectors.

Weakness: CWE-399

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2015-5262?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient. It affects 3 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient` | Maven | All versions | 4.3.6 |
| `org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient` | Maven | All versions | 4.3.6 |

Products: Apache Httpclient, Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Fedoraproject Fedora.

## How do I fix CVE-2015-5262?

Upgrade org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient to 4.3.6 or later.

## Is CVE-2015-5262 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2015-5262 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux

- [CVE-2013-4366](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-4366/): Hostname verification in Apache HttpClient 4.3 was disabled by default (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-71290](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-71290/): Apache HttpComponents Client: TLS hostname verification silently disabled on the async transport (default config, MITM) (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2025-27820](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-27820/): Apache HttpComponents: PSL (Public Suffix List) validation bypass (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2026-40542](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40542/): Apache HttpClient accepts SCRAM-SHA-256 authentication without proper mutual authentication verification (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2012-5783](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5783/): Improper Certificate Validation in Apache Commons HttpClient (medium 5.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2015-5262 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2015-5262 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 27 Oct 2015. 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-2015-5262 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 4.3.6
- org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 4.3.6

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-2015-5262/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5262/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-5262
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-5262
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2015-5262

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5262/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.