How severe is CVE-2017-2616?

CVE-2017-2616 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2017-2616 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (20th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-2616?

CVE-2017-2616 primarily affects Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop. In total, 13 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-2616?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2017-2616 published?

CVE-2017-2616 was published on 2018-07-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-2616

CVE-2017-2616 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. 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-362.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 4.7
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (20th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-362
Affected product: Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop
Published: 2018-07-27
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A race condition was found in util-linux before 2.32.1 in the way su handled the management of child processes. A local authenticated attacker could use this flaw to kill other processes with root privileges under specific conditions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-2616?: A race condition was found in util-linux before 2.32.1 in the way su handled the management of child processes. A local authenticated attacker could use this flaw to kill other processes with root privileges under specific conditions.
How severe is CVE-2017-2616?: CVE-2017-2616 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-2616 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (20th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-2616?: CVE-2017-2616 primarily affects Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop. In total, 13 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-2616?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2017-2616 published?: CVE-2017-2616 was published on 2018-07-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (13)

cpe:2.3:a:util-linux_project:util-linux:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_eus:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_eus:7.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_eus:7.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop

CVE-2018-18505 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An earlier fix for an Inter-process Communication (IPC) vulnerability, CVE-2011-3079, added authentication to…
CVE-2014-0247 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): LibreOffice 4.2.4 executes unspecified VBA macros automatically, which has unspecified impact and attack vectors,…
CVE-2014-1512 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Use-after-free vulnerability in the TypeObject class in the JavaScript engine in Mozilla Firefox before 28.0, Firefox…
CVE-2013-5843 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Java SE 7u40 and earlier, Java SE 6u60 and earlier, Java SE 5.0u51 and earlier,…
CVE-2013-5842 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Java SE 7u40 and earlier, Java SE 6u60 and earlier, Java SE 5.0u51 and earlier, and…
CVE-2013-5830 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Java SE 7u40 and earlier, Java SE 6u60 and earlier, Java SE 5.0u51 and earlier,…

All CVEs affecting Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop →

Other CWE-362 (Race Condition) vulnerabilities

CVE-2022-27626 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('Race Condition')…
CVE-2015-8556 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Gentoo QEMU package before 2.5.0-r1.
CVE-2014-0703 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) devices 7.4 before 7.4.110.0 distribute Aironet IOS software with a race condition…
CVE-2010-1228 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple race conditions in the sandbox infrastructure in Google Chrome before 4.1.249.1036 have unspecified impact and…
CVE-2008-6598 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple race conditions in WANPIPE before 3.3.6 have unknown impact and attack vectors related to "bri restart logic."
CVE-2026-46137 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mptcp: pm: ADD_ADDR rtx: fix potential…

Browse all CWE-362 (Race Condition) vulnerabilities →