CVE-2017-16544

Publication date 20 November 2017

Last updated 25 August 2025

Ubuntu priority

Medium

Why this priority?

Cvss 3 Severity Score

8.8 · High

Score breakdown

Description

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.

Status

Package Ubuntu Release Status
busybox 21.04 hirsute
Fixed 1:1.27.2-1ubuntu4
20.10 groovy
Fixed 1:1.27.2-1ubuntu4
20.04 LTS focal
Fixed 1:1.27.2-1ubuntu4
19.10 eoan
Fixed 1:1.27.2-1ubuntu4
19.04 disco
Fixed 1:1.27.2-1ubuntu4
18.10 cosmic
Fixed 1:1.27.2-1ubuntu4
18.04 LTS bionic
Fixed 1:1.27.2-1ubuntu4
17.10 artful Ignored end of life
17.04 zesty Ignored end of life
16.04 LTS xenial
Fixed 1:1.22.0-15ubuntu1.4
14.04 LTS trusty
Fixed 1:1.21.0-1ubuntu1.4

Patch details

For informational purposes only. We recommend not to cherry-pick updates. How can I get the fixes?

Package Patch details
busybox

Severity score breakdown

CVSS version: CVSS v3.0

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

References

Related Ubuntu Security Notices (USN)

Other references

Access our resources on patching vulnerabilities