#VU6431 Integer overflow in shadow - CVE-2016-6252

Vulnerability identifier: #VU6431

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2016-6252

CWE-ID: CWE-190

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
shadow
Universal components / Libraries / Libraries used by multiple products

Vendor: Mark Florian

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to execute arbitrary code on the target system with escalated privileges.

The vulnerability exists due to integer overflow in shadow-utils. A local user can execute arbitrary code on the target system with root privileges.

Mitigation
Install update from GIT repository.

Vulnerable software versions

shadow: 4.2.1

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External links
https://github.com/shadow-maint/shadow/issues/27

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.