CVE-2016-1602
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 · uneditedA code injection in the supportconfig data collection tool in supportutils in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 and 12-SP1 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 and 12-SP1 could be used by local attackers to execute code as the user running supportconfig (usually root).
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 · moderate confidenceA code injection vulnerability in the supportconfig data collection tool bundled with supportutils on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 and Desktop 12 (including SP1) allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code with root privileges by injecting malicious code that gets executed when supportconfig runs.
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= 12= 12= 12CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm SUSE product and versionRun 'cat /etc/os-release' and look for 'SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12' or 'SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12' in the NAME fieldAffected if The system is not SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 or Desktop 12, then it is not affected by this specific CVE
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Check if supportutils package is installedRun 'rpm -q supportutils' to see if the package is installedAffected if If the package is not installed, the system is not vulnerable to this specific flaw
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Determine installed supportutils versionRun 'rpm -q --qf '%{VERSION}-%{RELEASE}' supportutils' to get the exact version numberAffected if Compare the installed version to the affected version (12). If the version is 12, the system may be affected; if a patched version is installed, it is not affected. Note: You must compare against SUSE's official patch version to confirm remediation.
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Verify supportconfig tool existsRun 'ls -la /usr/sbin/supportconfig' to check if the supportconfig binary is presentAffected if If the tool exists and the above checks show an affected version, the system contains the vulnerable component
A system is affected if it runs SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 or Desktop 12, has supportutils installed, and the installed version matches the affected version 12 without the SUSE security patch applied.
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 dataApply the SUSE security update for CVE-2016-1602 to patch the supportutils package; until patched, restrict local access to the supportconfig tool and monitor for unauthorized use.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-1602 — 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-2016-1602 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
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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