8.4

CVE-2016-2856: canonical ubuntu_linux

Modified
AliasesUBUNTU-CVE-2016-2856DEBIAN-CVE-2016-2856
Published 14-03-2016Last modified 05-08-2024

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2016-2856 is a high (CVSS 8.4) vulnerability in canonical ubuntu_linux. EPSS estimates a 1.03% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 63.7% of scored vulnerabilities. 1 public exploit is recorded.

Priority
Prioritisepublic exploit

Public exploit (exploit-database, 22-02-2016)

Source freshness unavailable

How is this decided?
CVSS score
8.4/10
010
High · v3.0 (NVD)
EPSS score
1.03%
0%100%
Low · 0.00 pp in 30 days
KEVNot listedNot listed by any tracked catalog.
RansomwareNot flaggedNo ransomware use recorded.
Public exploits1exploit-database

Advisory lineage

Upstream 0 · Downstream 1 · Related 1
USN-2985-1

Timeline

  1. 14-03-2016
    PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
  2. 05-08-2024
    Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

pt_chown in the glibc package before 2.19-18+deb8u4 on Debian jessie; the elibc package before 2.15-0ubuntu10.14 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and before 2.19-0ubuntu6.8 on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS; and the glibc package before 2.21-0ubuntu4.2 on Ubuntu 15.10 and before 2.23-0ubuntu1 on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and 16.10 lacks a namespace check associated with file-descriptor passing, which allows local users to capture keystrokes and spoof data, and possibly gain privileges, via pts read and write operations, related to debian/sysdeps/linux.mk. NOTE: this is not considered a vulnerability in the upstream GNU C Library because the upstream documentation has a clear security recommendation against the --enable-pt_chown option.

CVSS metrics

4 scores · 3 sources · 2 versions

EPSS trend

Probability

1.03%

Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days

Percentile

64%

Versus all other CVEs

30-day change

No change 0.00 pp

From 1.03% on 04-10-2026

04-10-202603-11-2026

Known exploited

Compare KEV catalogs
CISA KEV

Not in the CISA KEV catalog.

ENISA CNW

Not in the ENISA CNW catalog.

CIRCL

Not in the CIRCL catalog.

Public exploits

1 found
  • exploit-databaselocallinuxUnverified

    Ubuntu < 15.10 - PT Chown Arbitrary PTs Access Via User Namespace Privilege Escalation

    Maturity: poc

Weaknesses

CWE · root cause

Affected systems

Version check

Known conditions: local access, no authentication, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.

Debian2 products
Canonical1 product
Ubuntu1 product
  • eglibc< 2.19-0ubuntu6.8

3 vendors · 4 products

References

13 links
Show all 13 references