The nginx package before 1.6.2-5+deb8u3 on Debian jessie, the nginx packages before 1.4.6-1ubuntu3.6 on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, before 1.10.0-0ubuntu0.16.04.3 on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, and before 1.10.1-0ubuntu1.1 on Ubuntu 16.10, and the nginx ebuild before 1.10.2-r3 on Gentoo allow local users with access to the web server user account to gain root privileges via a symlink attack on the error log.
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 4 products from f5, from canonical, from debian and 1 other, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
First disclosed in 2016, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.
2016-11-29T17:59:00.167
2025-04-12T10:46:40.837
Deferred
CVSSv3.1: 7.8 (HIGH)
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
3.9
10.0
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | f5 | nginx | ≤ 1.10.1 | Yes |
| Operating System | canonical | ubuntu_linux | 16.10 | No |
| Application | f5 | nginx | ≤ 1.10.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | canonical | ubuntu_linux | 16.04 | No |
| Application | f5 | nginx | ≤ 1.6.2 | Yes |
| Operating System | debian | debian_linux | 8.0 | No |
| Application | f5 | nginx | ≤ 1.4.3 | Yes |
| Operating System | canonical | ubuntu_linux | 14.04 | No |
| Operating System | fedoraproject | fedora | 33 | Yes |
| Operating System | fedoraproject | fedora | 34 | Yes |
| Operating System | fedoraproject | fedora | 35 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For f5's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.