# CVE-2016-9602: Path traversal in Qemu

> A privileged guest user can escape the VirtFS shared folder to access the host file system and potentially escalate privileges on the host.

- **Severity:** High 7.6 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 26 Apr 2018
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2016-9602, GHSA-43hg-r8gj-3mp9, UBUNTU-CVE-2016-9602

## What is CVE-2016-9602?

CVE-2016-9602 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 26 Apr 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Qemu before version 2.9 is vulnerable to an improper link following when built with the VirtFS. A privileged user inside guest could use this flaw to access host file system beyond the shared folder and potentially escalating their privileges on a host.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-9602?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Qemu Qemu.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-9602?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2016-9602 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-9602 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

- [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-9602 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-9602 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 26 Apr 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-9602 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Debian Debian Linux. 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-2016-9602/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9602/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-9602
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9602
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-9602

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9602/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.