# CVE-2016-9950: Path traversal in n/a

> An attacker can exploit a path traversal in Apport crash files to execute arbitrary Python code on the local system.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 17 Dec 2016
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-rgrg-wm7f-3pp8, UBUNTU-CVE-2016-9950

## What is CVE-2016-9950?

CVE-2016-9950 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 17 Dec 2016. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

An issue was discovered in Apport before 2.20.4. There is a path traversal issue in the Apport crash file "Package" and "SourcePackage" fields. These fields are used to build a path to the package specific hook files in the /usr/share/apport/package-hooks/ directory. An attacker can exploit this path traversal to execute arbitrary Python files from the local system.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-9950?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Apport Project Apport, Canonical Ubuntu Linux.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-9950?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2016-9950 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-9950 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Apport 2.x (Ubuntu Desktop 12.10 < 16.04) - Local Code Execution (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux

- [CVE-2022-28657](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-28657/): Denial of service in Apport (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2018-6552](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6552/): Apport treats the container PID as the global PID when /proc/<global_pid>/ is missing (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2017-14177](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-14177/): Privilege escalation in Apport (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2017-14179](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-14179/): Privilege escalation in Apport (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2017-14180](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-14180/): Privilege escalation in Apport (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-9950 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-9950 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 17 Dec 2016. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-9950 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Canonical Ubuntu 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-2016-9950/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9950/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-9950
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9950
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-9950

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9950/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.