# CVE-2016-6253: Path traversal in n/a

> Local attackers can modify arbitrary files or escalate privileges via symlink attacks in NetBSD's mail.local utility.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Jan 2017
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8rmq-jwcc-5rg4

## What is CVE-2016-6253?

CVE-2016-6253 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Netbsd Netbsd, published on 20 Jan 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

mail.local in NetBSD versions 6.0 through 6.0.6, 6.1 through 6.1.5, and 7.0 allows local users to change ownership of or append data to arbitrary files on the target system via a symlink attack on the user mailbox.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-6253?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Netbsd Netbsd.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-6253?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-6253 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-6253 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2016-6253 exists.

Public exploit code:

- NetBSD mail.local Privilege Escalation (metasploit)
- NetBSD - 'mail.local(8)' Local Privilege Escalation (exploitdb)
- NetBSD - 'mail.local(8)' Local Privilege Escalation (Metasploit) (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Netbsd Netbsd

- [CVE-2017-1000374](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1000374/): Security feature bypass in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-1000375](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1000375/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-1000378](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1000378/): Denial of service in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2015-8212](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8212/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2008-3584](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3584/): Denial of service in n/a (critical 9.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-6253 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-6253 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Netbsd Netbsd, published on 20 Jan 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2016-6253 exists.

Affected product: Netbsd Netbsd. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6253/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6253/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-6253
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6253
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-6253

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6253/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.