Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-9951

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.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.5, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity though user interaction is required and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from apport_project 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

2016-12-17T03:59:00.357

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 6.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: MEDIUM
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: NONE
Integrity Impact: NONE
Availability Impact: PARTIAL

Exploitability Score

8.6

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-284

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	apport_project	apport	≤ 2.20.3	Yes

References

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95011 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3157-1 ([email protected])
https://bugs.launchpad.net/apport/+bug/1648806 Issue Tracking, Patch ([email protected])
https://donncha.is/2016/12/compromising-ubuntu-desktop/ Exploit, Technical Description, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://github.com/DonnchaC/ubuntu-apport-exploitation Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40937/ ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95011 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3157-1 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://bugs.launchpad.net/apport/+bug/1648806 Issue Tracking, Patch (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://donncha.is/2016/12/compromising-ubuntu-desktop/ Exploit, Technical Description, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://github.com/DonnchaC/ubuntu-apport-exploitation Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40937/ (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 apport_project'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.