CVE-2012-3864: Puppet before 2.6.17 and 2.7.x before 2.7.18, and Puppet Enterprise before 2.5.2, allows remote authenticated

Q: How do I fix CVE-2012-3864?

puppet: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation; puppet: upgrade to newer than 2.6.16; puppet enterprise: upgrade to newer than 2.5.1. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2012-3864 being exploited?

CVE-2012-3864 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2012-3864 affect?

CVE-2012-3864 affects puppet, puppet, puppet enterprise. Severity is medium (CVSS 4.0). Puppet before 2.6.17 and 2.7.x before 2.7.18, and Puppet Enterprise before 2.5.2, allows remote authenticated users to read arbitrary files on the puppet master server by leveraging an arbitrary user's certificate and private key in a GET r

Q: How urgent is CVE-2012-3864?

Priority 39/100. Public exploit reference

Routine

MEDIUM 4.0DOWNGRADEUPGRADEUPGRADE

CVE-2012-3864 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 4.0) affecting puppet, puppet, puppet enterprise. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Puppet before 2.6.17 and 2.7.x before 2.7.18, and Puppet Enterprise before 2.5.2, allows remote authenticated users to read arbitrary files on the puppet master server by leveraging an arbitrary user's certificate and private key in a GET request.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	4.0 (Medium)
EPSS exploit chance	1.9% (top 20%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-200
Published	2012-08-06
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: puppet · puppetlabs

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2012-08-06 16:55 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 23:44 UTCUpdated Record last modified

puppet puppet DOWNGRADE

Affected: 2.6.0 · 2.6.1 · 2.6.2 · 2.6.3 · 2.6.4 · 2.6.5 · 2.6.6 · 2.6.7

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2.6.0

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy puppet || rpm -q puppet || puppet --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 2.6.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison puppet sudo apt install puppet=<VERSION_BEFORE_2.6.0> sudo apt-mark hold puppet

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list puppet sudo dnf downgrade puppet-<VERSION_BEFORE_2.6.0> sudo dnf versionlock add puppet

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

puppetlabs puppet UPGRADE

Affected: <= 2.6.16 · 2.7.0 · 2.7.1

Fixed in: newer than 2.6.16

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy puppet || rpm -q puppet || puppet --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 2.6.16 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade puppet

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade puppet

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

puppet puppet enterprise UPGRADE

Affected: <= 2.5.1

Fixed in: newer than 2.5.1

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy puppet-enterprise || rpm -q puppet-enterprise || puppet-enterprise --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 2.5.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade puppet-enterprise

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade puppet-enterprise

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2012-3864?

puppet: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation; puppet: upgrade to newer than 2.6.16; puppet enterprise: upgrade to newer than 2.5.1. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2012-3864 being exploited?

CVE-2012-3864 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2012-3864 affect?

CVE-2012-3864 affects puppet, puppet, puppet enterprise. Severity is medium (CVSS 4.0). Puppet before 2.6.17 and 2.7.x before 2.7.18, and Puppet Enterprise before 2.5.2, allows remote authenticated users to read arbitrary files on the puppet master server by leveraging an arbitrary user's certificate and private key in a GET r

How urgent is CVE-2012-3864?

Priority 39/100. Public exploit reference

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References

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