CVE-2012-5975

HIGHCVSS v2 · 9.39.3—
EchelonGraph scoreLOW confidence

This CVE was only ever scored under CVSS v2.0. NVD CVSS v2.0 base 9.3 — v2 rates that HIGH (v2 bands: LOW 0.0–3.9 / MEDIUM 4.0–6.9 / HIGH 7.0–10.0; v2 has no CRITICAL band). Vector AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C. CVSS v2 is an older, coarser metric than v3.1/v4.0 (no Scope, no User Interaction, no Attack Requirements), so it is not directly comparable to a v3 or v4 score. NVD has never re-scored this record under v3. EPSS predicts 35.9% exploitation probability in the next 30 days, which is reflected in EG Risk but does not lift the v2 base. Confidence: LOW.

Sources: epss, nvd_v2
Weaponized
9.3EG
EchelonGraph verdictPatch this weekExploitation is likely or a public exploit exists.
  • Public exploit code is available (Metasploit, Exploit-DB (verified), epss top5pct, public exploit)
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 36%CVSS v2: 9.3Exploit: Metasploit · Exploit-DB (verified) · epss top5pct · public exploitExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

The SSH USERAUTH CHANGE REQUEST feature in SSH Tectia Server 6.0.4 through 6.0.20, 6.1.0 through 6.1.12, 6.2.0 through 6.2.5, and 6.3.0 through 6.3.2 on UNIX and Linux, when old-style password authentication is enabled, allows remote attackers to bypass authentication via a crafted session involving entry of blank passwords, as demonstrated by a root login session from a modified OpenSSH client with an added input_userauth_passwd_changereq call in sshconnect2.c.

CVSS v2.0 (legacy)
9.3HIGHNVD never assigned a CVSS v3 rating to this CVE
EG Score
9.3(low)
EG Risk
72(Track)
EG Risk 72/100SSVC: Track

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity93% × 45%
Exploitation65% × 40%
Automatability30% × 15%
Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence.
EPSS PROB
36%
EPSS %ILE
98%
KEV
Not listed

Published

December 4, 2012

Last Modified

April 29, 2026

References (8)

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 9× in last 7d / 26× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

  1. 2026-07-26 13:46 UTCEG score recompute▲ 9.30
  2. 2026-07-25 14:12 UTCEPSS rescore
  3. 2026-07-23 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  4. 2026-07-23 01:08 UTCEG score recompute▼ 1.00
  5. 2026-07-23 00:12 UTCEG score recompute▲ 1.00
  6. 2026-07-22 21:50 UTCEG score recompute
  7. 2026-07-22 14:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-07-22 14:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  9. 2026-07-21 15:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  10. 2026-07-20 17:03 UTCEPSS rescore
  11. 2026-07-20 17:03 UTCEPSS rescore
  12. 2026-07-19 02:25 UTCEPSS rescore
  13. 2026-07-19 02:25 UTCEPSS rescore
  14. 2026-07-18 10:00 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-07-16 16:58 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  17. 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  18. 2026-07-15 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
  19. 2026-07-13 22:26 UTCEPSS rescore
  20. 2026-07-13 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  21. 2026-07-11 08:23 UTCEPSS rescore
  22. 2026-07-09 19:05 UTCEPSS rescore
  23. 2026-07-06 02:19 UTCEPSS rescore
  24. 2026-07-06 02:19 UTCEPSS rescore
  25. 2026-07-05 02:26 UTCEPSS rescore
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  1. 2026-07-01 15:02 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-06-28 04:53 UTCEPSS rescore
  3. 2026-06-28 04:53 UTCEPSS rescore
  4. 2026-06-27 03:05 UTCEPSS rescore
  5. 2026-06-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
  6. 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
  7. 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-06-23 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore
  9. 2026-06-21 01:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  10. 2026-06-21 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
  11. 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  12. 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  13. 2026-06-17 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  14. 2026-06-17 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  17. 2026-06-15 17:44 UTCEPSS rescore
  18. 2026-06-14 23:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  19. 2026-06-13 22:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  20. 2026-06-12 23:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  21. 2026-06-11 13:56 UTCEPSS rescore
  22. 2026-06-10 13:18 UTCEPSS rescore
  23. 2026-06-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  24. 2026-06-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  25. 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
  26. 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
  27. 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  28. 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  29. 2026-06-02 20:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  30. 2026-06-02 20:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  31. 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  32. 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  33. 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  34. 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  35. 2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  36. 2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  37. 2026-05-29 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
  38. 2026-05-29 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
  39. 2026-05-29 01:39 UTCEG score recompute
  40. 2026-05-29 01:39 UTCGHSA enrichment
  41. 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  42. 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  43. 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  44. 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
  45. 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
  46. 2026-05-26 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
  47. 2026-05-26 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
  48. 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  49. 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  50. 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  51. 2026-05-21 22:39 UTCEPSS rescore
  52. 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
  53. 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
  54. 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  55. 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  56. 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  57. 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
  58. 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore

Publicly available exploits

(3 references)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Metasploit module) (2 Exploit-DB entries). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

  • Exploit-DBEDB-23156✓ verified
    First seen Dec 5, 2012

    (SSH.com Communications) SSH Tectia - USERAUTH Change Request Password Reset (Metasploit)

    Open source ↗
  • Exploit-DBEDB-23082✓ verified
    First seen Dec 2, 2012

    (SSH.com Communications) SSH Tectia (SSH < 2.0-6.1.9.95 / Tectia 6.1.9.95) - Remote Authentication Bypass

    Open source ↗
  • Metasploitexploit/unix/ssh/tectia_passwd_changereq✓ verified
    First seen Dec 1, 2012

    Tectia SSH USERAUTH Change Request Password Reset Vulnerability

    Open source ↗

Related CVEs(same CWE)

Frequently asked(4)

What is CVE-2012-5975?
CVE-2012-5975 is a high vulnerability published on December 4, 2012. The SSH USERAUTH CHANGE REQUEST feature in SSH Tectia Server 6.0.4 through 6.0.20, 6.1.0 through 6.1.12, 6.2.0 through 6.2.5, and 6.3.0 through 6.3.2 on UNIX and Linux, when old-style password authentication is enabled, allows remote attackers to bypass authentication via a crafted session…
When was CVE-2012-5975 disclosed?
CVE-2012-5975 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on December 4, 2012, with the most recent update on April 29, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2012-5975 actively exploited?
CVE-2012-5975 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 36% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the top 1.7% of all scored CVEs.
How do I remediate CVE-2012-5975?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2012-5975, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

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