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Ubuntu Download ManagerApplication · Canonical

CVE-2016-1579

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-04-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
UDM provides support for running commands after a download is completed, this is currently made use of for click package installation. This functionality was not restricted to unconfined applications. Before UDM version 1.2+16.04.20160408-0ubuntu1 any confined application could make use of the UDM C++ API to run arbitrary commands in an unconfined environment as the phablet user.

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 confidence

This is a sandbox bypass/privilege escalation vulnerability in Ubuntu Device Manager (UDM). Before version 1.2+16.04.20160408-0ubuntu1, the post-download command execution functionality accessible through the UDM C++ API was not restricted to unconfined applications, allowing any confined application to run arbitrary commands as the unprivileged phablet user in an unconfined environment.

MitigationUpdate UDM to version 1.2+16.04.20160408-0ubuntu1 or later, which restricts post-download command execution to unconfined applications only.

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
Ubuntu Download ManagerApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if Ubuntu Device Manager is installed
    Query the package manager for the ubuntu-download-manager package. On Ubuntu/Debian systems, run: dpkg -l ubuntu-download-manager or apt list --installed 2>/dev/null | grep -i ubuntu-download-manager
    Affected if The package is not installed, the system is not affected by this CVE
  2. Determine the installed version of UDM
    Run: dpkg -l ubuntu-download-manager and look at the Version column, or use: apt-cache policy ubuntu-download-manager
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 1.2+16.04.20160408-0ubuntu1, meaning the vulnerability is present
  3. Identify applications using the post-download command execution API
    Review any application code or configuration that utilizes the UDM C++ API for post-download command execution functionality. Check application manifests or source code for calls related to post-download command handling
    Affected if A confined application is using the post-download command execution API, which could exploit the vulnerability to run arbitrary commands as the phablet user

A system is affected if Ubuntu Device Manager is installed with a version before 1.2+16.04.20160408-0ubuntu1 and any confined application has access to or uses the post-download command execution API functionality.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update UDM to version 1.2+16.04.20160408-0ubuntu1 or later, which restricts post-download command execution to unconfined applications only.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.2+16.04.20160408-0ubuntu1

  1. Check the currently installed version of Ubuntu Download Manager using: dpkg -l ubuntu-download-manager or apt-cache policy ubuntu-download-manager
  2. Upgrade to the fixed version using: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ubuntu-download-manager=1.2+16.04.20160408-0ubuntu1
  3. Verify the installation was successful by checking the version again: dpkg -l ubuntu-download-manager
  4. Ensure the package is updated to version 1.2+16.04.20160408-0ubuntu1 or later to confirm the vulnerability is remediated

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ubuntu Download Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,330
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-1579 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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