How severe is CVE-2016-8649?

CVE-2016-8649 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2016-8649 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-8649?

CVE-2016-8649 affects Linuxcontainers Lxc. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-8649?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2016-8649 published?

CVE-2016-8649 was published on 2017-05-01 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-8649

CVE-2016-8649 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Linuxcontainers Lxc with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-264.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.1)
CVSS v2: 9.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (85th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-264
Affected product: Linuxcontainers Lxc
Published: 2017-05-01
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

lxc-attach in LXC before 1.0.9 and 2.x before 2.0.6 allows an attacker inside of an unprivileged container to use an inherited file descriptor, of the host's /proc, to access the rest of the host's filesystem via the openat() family of syscalls.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-8649?: lxc-attach in LXC before 1.0.9 and 2.x before 2.0.6 allows an attacker inside of an unprivileged container to use an inherited file descriptor, of the host's /proc, to access the rest of the host's filesystem via the openat() family of syscalls.
How severe is CVE-2016-8649?: CVE-2016-8649 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-8649 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-8649?: CVE-2016-8649 affects Linuxcontainers Lxc. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-8649?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2016-8649 published?: CVE-2016-8649 was published on 2017-05-01 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:linuxcontainers:lxc:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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