PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief
CVE-2015-7599 Windriver CVE debrief
CVE-2015-7599 is a high-severity Wind River VxWorks issue in the RPC authentication path. According to the CVE/NVD record, an integer overflow in _authenticate() within svc_auth.c can be reached when the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) protocol is enabled, allowing a remote attacker to crash the device and, in some cases, possibly execute arbitrary code. The published record lists VxWorks versions 5.5 through 6.9.4.1 as affected.
- Vendor
- Windriver
- Product
- Unknown
- CVSS
- HIGH 8.1
- 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
Owners and operators of embedded or real-time systems running Wind River VxWorks, especially deployments with RPC enabled. Security teams managing OT, industrial, networking, storage, or other embedded appliances should treat this as relevant if any affected VxWorks version is in use.
Technical summary
The vulnerability is classified by NVD as CWE-190 (integer overflow). The issue is in the _authenticate function in svc_auth.c and is reachable over the network when RPC is enabled. NVD assigns CVSS 3.0 AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, reflecting a remotely reachable flaw with potentially severe confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact if successfully exploited. The supplied corpus does not provide a fixed version, patch identifier, or exploit validation details.
Defensive priority
High. Prioritize any VxWorks deployments exposed to RPC, because the vulnerable path is network-reachable and can affect multiple product versions. Even though the attack complexity is rated high, the potential impact and breadth of affected versions warrant prompt inventory and mitigation work.
Recommended defensive actions
- Inventory all Wind River VxWorks systems and confirm whether RPC is enabled.
- Identify systems running VxWorks 5.5 through 6.9.4.1 and treat them as potentially affected until verified otherwise.
- Apply the vendor's guidance from the Wind River advisory referenced in the CVE record and any product-specific mitigations from downstream vendors such as NetApp.
- If RPC is not operationally required, disable or restrict it to reduce exposure.
- Segment and tightly firewall affected embedded devices so RPC is not reachable from untrusted networks.
- Monitor vendor and product advisories for fixed releases or additional remediation guidance.
- Validate assets and remediation status using the official CVE and NVD records in your vulnerability management workflow.
Evidence notes
This debrief is based only on the supplied CVE/NVD corpus and referenced advisories. The CVE record states the affected condition, impacted VxWorks versions, and the RPC prerequisite. NVD provides the CWE-190 classification, CVSS vector, and affected CPE criteria. The referenced Wind River, NetApp, SecurityFocus, and technical slide sources are listed in the CVE record but were not independently expanded beyond the supplied metadata.
Sources and references
Verified primary and authoritative sources
-
CVE-2015-7599 CVE Program record
Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified
URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-7599
CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.
-
CVE-2015-7599 NVD vulnerability detail
Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified
URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-7599
NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.
Supplemental references
-
Source reference
Unverified legacy reference
URL: https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20151029-0001/
-
Mitigation or vendor reference
Unverified legacy reference
URL: https://www.syscan360.org/slides/2015_EN_AttackingVxWorksFromstoneagetointerstellar_Eric_Yannick.pdf
[email protected] - Technical Description, Third Party Advisory
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.