CVE-2017-16997

Name: CVE-2017-16997
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2017-12-18T01:29:00.19+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

UnknownEPSS 2.70%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2017-16997 is a vulnerability of currently unknown severity. elf/dl-load.c in the GNU C Library (aka glibc or libc6) 2.19 through 2.26 mishandles RPATH and RUNPATH containing $ORIGIN for a privileged (setuid or AT_SECURE) program, which allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse library in the current working directory, related to the fillin_rpath and decompose_rpath functions. This is associated with misinterpretion of an empty RPATH/RUNPATH token as the "./" directory. EPSS estimates a 2.70% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

elf/dl-load.c in the GNU C Library (aka glibc or libc6) 2.19 through 2.26 mishandles RPATH and RUNPATH containing $ORIGIN for a privileged (setuid or AT_SECURE) program, which allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse library in the current working directory, related to the fillin_rpath and decompose_rpath functions. This is associated with misinterpretion of an empty RPATH/RUNPATH token as the "./" directory. NOTE: this configuration of RPATH/RUNPATH for a privileged program is apparently very uncommon; most likely, no such program is shipped with any common Linux distribution.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

2.70%

84.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-426

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Gnu	Glibc	2.19
Gnu	Glibc	2.20
Gnu	Glibc	2.21
Gnu	Glibc	2.22
Gnu	Glibc	2.23
Gnu	Glibc	2.25
Gnu	Glibc	2.26
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Desktop	7.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Server	7.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Workstation	7.0

References

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/102228Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2019:0327Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3092Third Party Advisory
https://bugs.debian.org/884615Issue Tracking, Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=22625Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/ml/libc-alpha/2017-12/msg00528.htmlIssue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/102228Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2019:0327Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3092Third Party Advisory
https://bugs.debian.org/884615Issue Tracking, Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=22625Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/ml/libc-alpha/2017-12/msg00528.htmlIssue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Dec 18, 2017
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-16997?

How severe is CVE-2017-16997?

Severity scoring for CVE-2017-16997 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 2.70% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2017-16997?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2017-16997?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST