CVE-2016-9951
A malicious Apport crash file can contain a restart command in `RespawnCommand` or `ProcCmdline` fields.
Does this matter?
A public exploit is published in Exploit-DB, so the technical barrier is gone even though the severity is medium and EPSS is 6.7%. Treat it as high on anything reachable from the internet.
Description
An issue was discovered in Apport before 2.20.4. A malicious Apport crash file can contain a restart command in `RespawnCommand` or `ProcCmdline` fields. This command will be executed if a user clicks the Relaunch button on the Apport prompt from the malicious crash file. The fix is to only show the Relaunch button on Apport crash files generated by local systems. The Relaunch button will be hidden when crash files are opened directly in Apport-GTK.
- CVSS 3.0
- 6.5 MEDIUMCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- EPSS
- 6.67% probability · 94th percentile
- Public exploits
- 1 in Exploit-DB · first 14 December 2016
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-284
- Affected
- apport project/apport
- Source
- cve@mitre.org
EPSS 6.7% since 27 October 2026; no change recorded yet. The dashed line is the ten per cent mark our analysts treat as “patch before the next change window”. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
Public exploits (1)
Entries in Exploit-DB that cite this CVE. Links go to the Exploit-DB page and to the file in the public repository; nothing is hosted here. A verified tick means the Exploit-DB team confirmed the exploit works against the stated version.
References
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95011Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3157-1
- https://bugs.launchpad.net/apport/+bug/1648806Issue Tracking, Patch
- https://donncha.is/2016/12/compromising-ubuntu-desktop/Exploit, Technical Description, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/DonnchaC/ubuntu-apport-exploitationIssue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40937/
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95011Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3157-1
- https://bugs.launchpad.net/apport/+bug/1648806Issue Tracking, Patch
- https://donncha.is/2016/12/compromising-ubuntu-desktop/Exploit, Technical Description, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/DonnchaC/ubuntu-apport-exploitationIssue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40937/
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.