CVE Intelligence
CISA KEV High Injection exploit reference

CVE-2014-6278 — GNU Bash OS Command Injection Vulnerability

GNU Bash through 4.3 bash43-026 does not properly parse function definitions in the values of environment variables, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted environment, as demonstrated by vectors involving the ForceCommand feature in OpenSSH sshd, the mod_cgi and mod_cgid modules in the Apache HTTP Server, scripts executed by unspecified DHCP clients, and other situations in which setting the environment occurs across a privilege boundary from Bash execution. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-6271, CVE-2014-7169, and CVE-2014-6277.

Published Sep 30, 2014 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, GitHub Security Advisories, NIST National Vulnerability Database · CNA: debian

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

CISA KEV · Oct 2, 2025 Metasploit modules · 3Exploit-DB · 5
How the score was calculated
  • Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
  • Public exploit/PoC (metasploit, exploitdb)+20
  • EPSS 99.7% (30-day exploitation probability)+15
  • Technical severity (high)+6

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Confirmed
CISA KEV, listed Oct 2, 2025
EPSS FIRST
99.68%
ahead of 100% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
Gnu
Bash
CVSS base
8.8
High · 4 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
Active
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Total
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

CISA required action CISA

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

US federal deadline: Oct 23, 2025 — passed 357 day(s) ago

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Gnu Bash).
  2. Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
  3. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
  4. Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
  5. Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
  6. EPSS ahead of 100% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
  7. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (injection), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Gnu Bash version 2.04version 4.3version 4.2version 4.1version 4.0-rc1version 4.0version 3.2.48version 3.2
and 20 more version 3.1version 3.0.16version 3.0version 2.05-bversion 2.05-aversion 2.05version 1.14.0version 2.03version 2.02.1version 2.02version 2.01.1version 2.01version 2.0version 1.14.7version 1.14.6version 1.14.5version 1.14.4version 1.14.3version 1.14.2version 1.14.1
Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
8.8 CVSS 3.1 High 2.8 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 via NIST National Vulnerability Database
8.8 CVSS 3.1 High — — GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories
8.8 CVSS 3.1 High — — CISA-ADP via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
10.0 CVSS 2.0 High 10.0 10.0 nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-78 · OS Command Injection

Other CVEs with this weakness →

CISA KEV details CISA

CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.

Listed
Oct 2, 2025
Federal deadline
Oct 23, 2025
passed 357 day(s) ago
Ransomware use
Unknown

CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.

Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates

Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.

Metasploit modules
Exploit-DB

Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 12, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 99.68%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
  • Look for parameters with command/query metacharacters and unexpected child processes of the service.
  • Hunt retroactively in logs from before Oct 2, 2025 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPSapplication logsendpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Fix documented
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Affected products added · gnu/bash
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · Published → Analyzed
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 8.8
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Source status changed · → Published
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Added to CISA KEV (detected)
    Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
  • 2025
  • Added to CISA KEV catalog
    Oct 1, 2025 · CISA
  • 2014
  • CVE published
    Sep 30, 2014 · debian

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

100 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Gnu
every CVE for this vendor
2025-10
what else CISA listed that month
Injection
same class
CWE-78
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2022-3715 A flaw was found in the bash package, where a heap-buffer overflow can occur in valid... Jan 5, 2023
  • CVE-2019-18276 An issue was discovered in disable_priv_mode in shell.c in GNU Bash through 5.0 patch 11. By... Nov 27, 2019
  • CVE-2014-7169 GNU Bourne-Again Shell (Bash) Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability KEV Sep 24, 2014
  • CVE-2014-6271 GNU Bourne-Again Shell (Bash) Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability KEV Sep 24, 2014

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2014-6278 is "GNU Bash OS Command Injection Vulnerability", rated High. It affects Bash (Gnu); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 8.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 99.68% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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