Is CVE-2014-6278 exploited in the wild?

Yes. CVE-2014-6278 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 2 October 2025. Treat it as urgent.

How severe is CVE-2014-6278?

Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 10, published 2 October 2025.

Which products and versions are affected?

Gnu Bash through 4.3 bash43-026.

Is there a fix for CVE-2014-6278?

No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

How is CVE-2014-6278 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in an operating system.

Am I affected by CVE-2014-6278?

Check whether you run Gnu Bash or GNU Bash at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2014-6278: GNU Bash OS command injection via environment variables

CVE-2014-6278 · Severity: critical · CVSS 10 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2025-10-02

GNU Bash is a fundamental command-line interpreter used in almost all Linux and Unix-based systems to run scripts and manage operations. A critical vulnerability allows attackers to bypass security boundaries and execute unauthorized commands on a system by manipulating environment variables. This can lead to complete system takeover, data theft, or service disruption, especially on web servers or systems providing remote access.

Technologies: Gnu Bash. Vendors: Gnu.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2014-6278 exploited in the wild?: Yes. CVE-2014-6278 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 2 October 2025. Treat it as urgent.
How severe is CVE-2014-6278?: Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 10, published 2 October 2025.
Which products and versions are affected?: Gnu Bash through 4.3 bash43-026.
Is there a fix for CVE-2014-6278?: No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
How is CVE-2014-6278 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in an operating system.
Am I affected by CVE-2014-6278?: Check whether you run Gnu Bash or GNU Bash at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

GNU Bash through version 4.3 bash43-026 fails to properly parse function definitions within environment variables. This vulnerability, part of the 'Shellshock' family, allows an attacker to execute arbitrary OS commands by passing specially crafted environment variables across a privilege boundary. Common attack vectors include OpenSSH's ForceCommand, Apache HTTP Server modules (mod_cgi/mod_cgid), and certain DHCP clients that set environment variables based on external input. This specific issue exists due to an incomplete fix for previous Bash vulnerabilities (CVE-2014-6271 and others). Patches are available from major Linux distributions and the GNU project.

Affected products

GNU Bash through 4.3 bash43-026

Identifiers

CVE-2014-6278
CVE-2023-22894
CVE-2015-5477
CVE-2021-22205
CVE-2019-11510
CVE-2016-3081
CVE-2021-3199
CVE-2015-3306

Timeline

2014-09-30: disclosed: Initial disclosure of related Shellshock vulnerabilities
2025-10-02: advisory: NVD advisory publication date
2014-09-30: exploited: Reported as exploited in the wild shortly after discovery

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