Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-1576

The overlayfs implementation in the Linux kernel through 4.5.2 does not properly restrict the mount namespace, which allows local users to gain privileges by mounting an overlayfs filesystem on top of a FUSE filesystem, and then executing a crafted setuid program.

Security Impact Summary

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 canonical, from canonical, from canonical and 1 other, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

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.

Published

2016-05-02T10:59:24.487

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Access Vector: LOCAL
Access Complexity: LOW
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: COMPLETE
Integrity Impact: COMPLETE
Availability Impact: COMPLETE

Exploitability Score

3.9

Impact Score

10.0

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
NVD-CWE-noinfo

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_core	15.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	12.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	14.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	15.10	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	16.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	16.10	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_touch	15.04	Yes
Operating System	linux	linux_kernel	≤ 4.5.2	Yes

References

http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=e9f57ebcba563e0cd532926cab83c92bb4d79360 Mailing List, Patch, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
http://people.canonical.com/~ubuntu-security/cve/2016/CVE-2016-1576.html Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.halfdog.net/Security/2016/OverlayfsOverFusePrivilegeEscalation/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/02/24/8 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/10/18/1 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1535150 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://launchpadlibrarian.net/235300093/0005-overlayfs-Be-more-careful-about-copying-up-sxid-file.patch Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://launchpadlibrarian.net/235300225/0006-overlayfs-Propogate-nosuid-from-lower-and-upper-moun.patch Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=e9f57ebcba563e0cd532926cab83c92bb4d79360 Mailing List, Patch, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://people.canonical.com/~ubuntu-security/cve/2016/CVE-2016-1576.html Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.halfdog.net/Security/2016/OverlayfsOverFusePrivilegeEscalation/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/02/24/8 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/10/18/1 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1535150 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://launchpadlibrarian.net/235300093/0005-overlayfs-Be-more-careful-about-copying-up-sxid-file.patch Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://launchpadlibrarian.net/235300225/0006-overlayfs-Propogate-nosuid-from-lower-and-upper-moun.patch Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

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 canonical'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.