# CVE-2017-16641: Command injection in n/a

> Authenticated administrators can execute arbitrary OS commands via the path_rrdtool parameter in Cacti settings.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 7 Nov 2017
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2017-16641, GHSA-h5hf-99mp-vqgm, UBUNTU-CVE-2017-16641

## What is CVE-2017-16641?

CVE-2017-16641 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Cacti Cacti, published on 7 Nov 2017. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

lib/rrd.php in Cacti 1.1.27 allows remote authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary OS commands via the path_rrdtool parameter in an action=save request to settings.php.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-16641?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cacti Cacti.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-16641?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2017-16641 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-16641 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Cacti Cacti

- [CVE-2022-46169](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-46169/): Cacti Command Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-39893](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39893/): Cacti: Pre-authentication SQL injection via rfilter RLIKE clause in graph_view.php (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-39938](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39938/): Cacti: Unauthenticated RCE on Graph Image (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-39955](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39955/): Cacti has Pre-Authentication SQL Injection via unanchored FILTER_VALIDATE_REGEXP in graph_view.php (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-39361](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-39361/): Unauthenticated SQL Injection in graph_view.php in Cacti (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-16641 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-16641 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Cacti Cacti, published on 7 Nov 2017. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-16641 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cacti Cacti. 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-2017-16641/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-16641/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-16641
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16641
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-16641

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-16641/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.