NetworkmanagerApplication · Redhat
CVE-2016-0764
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedRace condition in Network Manager before 1.0.12 as packaged in Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux HPC Node 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 7, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 7 allows local users to obtain sensitive connection information by reading temporary files during ifcfg and keyfile changes.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA race condition in Network Manager before version 1.0.12 allows local users to obtain sensitive connection information by reading temporary files created during ifcfg and keyfile changes. The vulnerability stems from insecure temporary file handling during configuration modifications.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
NetworkmanagerApplication
<= 1.0.8CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Determine installed NetworkManager versionRun 'rpm -qa NetworkManager' or 'nmcli --version' to get the exact version numberAffected if Version is 1.0.8 or lower (1.0.0 through 1.0.8)
-
Identify active configuration methodCheck /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ for ifcfg-* files, or examine /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ for keyfile configurationsAffected if ifcfg or keyfile configuration methods are actively in use (these trigger the vulnerable temp file code path)
-
Inspect temporary file permissionsLook for temporary files created in /tmp during NetworkManager configuration changes; check if other local users can read them with 'ls -la /tmp/ifcfg*' or 'ls -la /tmp/keyfile*'Affected if Temp files with sensitive connection credentials exist and are world-readable (permissions 0644 or similar)
-
Verify local user access controlsReview which local user accounts exist on the system using 'getent passwd' and check if multiple untrusted users have accessAffected if Multiple local users exist on the system, increasing the risk of exploitation through the race condition
You are affected if NetworkManager version is 1.0.8 or lower AND you use ifcfg or keyfile configuration methods, allowing a local untrusted user to potentially read sensitive connection data from insecure temporary files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade Network Manager to version 1.0.12 or later as packaged in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 updates. Alternatively, restrict local access to the system and monitor file access attempts in sensitive directories.
Fix this in Networkmanager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-0764 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-0764 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data