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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2015-8608 Perl CVE debrief

CVE-2015-8608 is a critical flaw in Perl 5.22 affecting the VDir::MapPathA and VDir::MapPathW functions. According to the NVD record, remotely supplied input can trigger an out-of-bounds read and may lead to denial of service or possible arbitrary code execution. The issue is rated CVSS 3.0 9.8 with no privileges or user interaction required, which makes it a high-priority exposure wherever the affected Perl version is in use.

Vendor
Perl
Product
Unknown
CVSS
CRITICAL 9.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-02-07
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-02-07
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Security teams, Perl maintainers, and operators of systems running Perl 5.22 should care, especially if applications may pass untrusted data into VDir::MapPathA/W or expose the affected code path in network-reachable services.

Technical summary

NVD classifies the weakness as CWE-125 (out-of-bounds read) and assigns CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. The vulnerable area is identified as VDir::MapPathA and VDir::MapPathW in Perl 5.22, with crafted drive-letter or pInName input called out in the CVE description. The supplied references include an Oracle Critical Patch Update advisory, a Perl RT issue tracker entry marked as patch/vendor advisory, and a third-party advisory reference.

Defensive priority

Critical. The record indicates a remotely reachable flaw with no authentication or user interaction required, and the stated impact includes potential code execution plus denial of service.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Inventory deployments to confirm whether Perl 5.22 is present.
  • Apply the vendor-provided fix or move to a patched Perl release referenced by the Perl RT issue and Oracle security advisory.
  • Review any code paths that use VDir::MapPathA/W and reduce exposure to untrusted input where possible.
  • Prioritize internet-facing or externally reachable systems for remediation first.
  • Monitor affected systems for crashes, unexpected faults, or anomalous behavior until remediation is complete.

Evidence notes

The description, severity, and weakness classification come from the NVD record for CVE-2015-8608. The supplied reference list links to Oracle CPU Jul 2017, the Perl RT bug 126755 entry, and a Packet Storm advisory; these support the existence of vendor guidance, patch tracking, and external advisory coverage. No KEV listing was provided in the supplied corpus.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2015-8608 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8608

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2015-8608 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8608

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.