# CVE-2017-15286: Null dereference in n/a

> A NULL pointer dereference in SQLite's shell allows attackers to cause a denial of service via crafted SQL commands.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 12 Oct 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2017-15286, DEBIAN-CVE-2017-15286, GHSA-cmxm-6c5m-r5c5

## What is CVE-2017-15286?

CVE-2017-15286 is a high-severity vulnerability in Sqlite Sqlite, published on 12 Oct 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

SQLite 3.20.1 has a NULL pointer dereference in tableColumnList in shell.c because it fails to consider certain cases where `sqlite3_step(pStmt)==SQLITE_ROW` is false and a data structure is never initialized.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-15286?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Sqlite Sqlite.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-15286?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2017-15286 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-15286 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Sqlite Sqlite

- [CVE-2015-5895](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5895/): Other in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2017-10989](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-10989/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-11822](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-11822/): SQLite before 3.53.2 Memory Corruption in FTS5 Extension (high 8.5)
- [CVE-2026-11824](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-11824/): SQLite before 3.53.2 Heap Buffer Overflow via FTS5 fts5ChunkIterate (high 8.5)
- [CVE-2025-70873](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-70873/): Information disclosure in n/a (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-15286 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-15286 is a high-severity vulnerability in Sqlite Sqlite, published on 12 Oct 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-2017-15286 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Sqlite Sqlite. 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-2017-15286/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-15286/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-15286
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-15286
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-15286

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-15286/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.