CVE-2016-9950
CVE-2016-9950 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apport Project Apport with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. 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-22.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
- CVSS v2: 9.3
- EPSS exploit prediction: 7% (93rd percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Weakness: CWE-22
- Affected product: Apport Project Apport
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
An issue was discovered in Apport before 2.20.4. There is a path traversal issue in the Apport crash file "Package" and "SourcePackage" fields. These fields are used to build a path to the package specific hook files in the /usr/share/apport/package-hooks/ directory. An attacker can exploit this path traversal to execute arbitrary Python files from the local system.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2016-9950?
- An issue was discovered in Apport before 2.20.4. There is a path traversal issue in the Apport crash file "Package" and "SourcePackage" fields. These fields are used to build a path to the package specific hook files in the /usr/share/apport/package-hooks/ directory. An attacker can exploit this path traversal to execute arbitrary Python files from the local system.
- How severe is CVE-2016-9950?
- CVE-2016-9950 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2016-9950 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 7% (93rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2016-9950?
- CVE-2016-9950 primarily affects Apport Project Apport. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2016-9950?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
- When was CVE-2016-9950 published?
- CVE-2016-9950 was published on 2016-12-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95011
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3157-1
- https://bugs.launchpad.net/apport/+bug/1648806
- https://donncha.is/2016/12/compromising-ubuntu-desktop/
- https://github.com/DonnchaC/ubuntu-apport-exploitation
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40937/
Affected products (2)
- cpe:2.3:a:apport_project:apport:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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