# CVE-2015-8559: Information disclosure in n/a

> The Chef Infra client leaks the validator private key to system logs, allowing attackers to read sensitive credentials.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Sep 2017
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9pjg-g5g3-w4c2, UBUNTU-CVE-2015-8559

## What is CVE-2015-8559?

CVE-2015-8559 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Sep 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The knife bootstrap command in chef Infra client before version 15.4.45 leaks the validator.pem private RSA key to /var/log/messages.

Weakness: CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2015-8559?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Chef Chef.

## How do I fix CVE-2015-8559?

No fix has been published for CVE-2015-8559 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2015-8559 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2015-8559 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2015-8559 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2015-8559 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Sep 2017. 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-2015-8559 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-2015-8559/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8559/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8559
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8559
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2015-8559

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8559/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.