How severe is CVE-2017-9525?

CVE-2017-9525 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.7, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2017-9525 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (42nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-9525?

CVE-2017-9525 primarily affects Cron Project Cron. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-9525?

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

When was CVE-2017-9525 published?

CVE-2017-9525 was published on 2017-06-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-9525

CVE-2017-9525 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Cron Project Cron with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.7. 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-59.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.7)
CVSS v2: 6.9
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (42nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-59
Affected product: Cron Project Cron
Published: 2017-06-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In the cron package through 3.0pl1-128 on Debian, and through 3.0pl1-128ubuntu2 on Ubuntu, the postinst maintainer script allows for group-crontab-to-root privilege escalation via symlink attacks against unsafe usage of the chown and chmod programs.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-9525?: In the cron package through 3.0pl1-128 on Debian, and through 3.0pl1-128ubuntu2 on Ubuntu, the postinst maintainer script allows for group-crontab-to-root privilege escalation via symlink attacks against unsafe usage of the chown and chmod programs.
How severe is CVE-2017-9525?: CVE-2017-9525 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.7, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-9525 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (42nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-9525?: CVE-2017-9525 primarily affects Cron Project Cron. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-9525?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2017-9525 published?: CVE-2017-9525 was published on 2017-06-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

cpe:2.3:a:cron_project:cron:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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