RCE in Busybox
CVE-2017-16544
In the add_match function in libbb/lineedit.c in BusyBox through 1.27.2, the tab autocomplete feature of the shell, used to get a list of filenames in a directory, does not sanitize filenames and results in executing any escape sequence in the terminal. This could potentially result in code execution, arbitrary file writes, or other attacks.
Vulnerability class: RCE (Remote Code Execution)
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 8.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.061 (93.4th percentile), scored .
Low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, but still tracked. 93rd percentile — 93.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.062 · newest: 0.061 · change: -0.001
Affected products
- Busybox
- Redlion N-Tron 702m12-W
- Redlion N-Tron 702m12-W Firmware
- Redlion N-Tron 702-W
- Redlion N-Tron 702-W Firmware
- VMware Esxi — versions 6.0, 6.5, 6.7
- Canonical Ubuntu Linux — versions 14.04, 16.04
- Debian Linux — versions 8.0, 9.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- www.twistlock.com/2017/11/20/cve-2017-16544-busybox-autocompletion-vulnerabilit… (Third Party Advisory)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/07/msg00037.html (mailing-list, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- git.busybox.net/busybox/commit/ (Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- usn.ubuntu.com/3935-1/ (vendor-advisory, Third Party Advisory)
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Jun/18 (mailing-list, Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Jun/14 (mailing-list, Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Sep/7 (mailing-list, Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Sep/7 (mailing-list, Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/154361/Cisco-Device-Hardcoded-Credentials-GNU-gli… (Exploit, VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory)
- www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2019-0013.html (Third Party Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2017-16544?
- CVE-2017-16544 is a high-severity vulnerability in Busybox, classified under Code Injection. CVSS score: 8.8/10. Published 2017-11-20.
- How severe is CVE-2017-16544?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.8 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2017-16544 known to be exploited?
- 5 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.