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Jboss Enterprise Application PlatformApplication · Redhat

CVE-2016-8656

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-05-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Jboss jbossas before versions 5.2.0-23, 6.4.13, 7.0.5 is vulnerable to an unsafe file handling in the jboss init script which could result in local privilege escalation.

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 confidence

JBoss AS versions before 5.2.0-23, 6.4.13, and 7.0.5 contain an unsafe file handling vulnerability in the jboss init script that allows local users to gain elevated privileges via manipulation of files or directories used by the init script.

MitigationUpgrade JBoss AS to a patched version (5.2.0-23+, 6.4.13+, or 7.0.5+) or review and harden the init script to use safe file operations, secure temporary file handling, and proper permission checks.

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
Jboss Enterprise Application PlatformApplication
Affected:= 5.0.0= 6.0.0= 6.4.0= 7.0.0= 7.1.0

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the installed JBoss version
    Run 'rpm -qa | grep jboss' or check the version file in the JBoss installation directory (commonly in $JBOSS_HOME/bin/version.sh or $JBOSS_HOME/readme.txt)
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 5.2.0-23, 6.4.13, or 7.0.5 (or is one of the listed Red Hat versions: 5.0.0, 6.0.0, 6.4.0, 7.0.0, or 7.1.0)
  2. Locate the JBoss init script
    Check for init scripts in /etc/init.d/ directory with names like 'jboss', 'jboss-as', 'jboss-eap', or 'jbossas' using 'ls -la /etc/init.d/ | grep -i jboss'
    Affected if An init script exists and its version matches the vulnerable versions listed above
  3. Inspect init script for unsafe temporary file handling
    Examine the init script content (e.g., 'cat /etc/init.d/jboss') and search for patterns like 'mktemp', '$$' in filenames, or redirection to predictable paths in /tmp or /var/tmp
    Affected if The init script uses predictable temporary files without proper permission checks or uses unsafe methods to create temporary files or directories
  4. Check file permissions on the init script and its working directories
    Run 'ls -la /etc/init.d/jboss' (or the identified init script name) and check if world-writable directories exist in the path used by the script (like /tmp or /var/tmp directories)
    Affected if The init script or its supporting directories have overly permissive write access that could allow a local user to manipulate files or create symlink attacks
  5. Verify if JBoss runs as root
    Check the init script for 'RUNASUSER' or similar settings, or inspect the process owner with 'ps aux | grep jboss' when the service is running
    Affected if JBoss runs as root (UID 0) and the init script contains exploitable file handling vulnerabilities

A user is affected if their JBoss version is one of the vulnerable releases (5.x before 5.2.0-23, 6.x before 6.4.13, 7.x before 7.0.5, or the specific Red Hat versions listed) AND the jboss init script with unsafe file handling is in use on the system.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade JBoss AS to a patched version (5.2.0-23+, 6.4.13+, or 7.0.5+) or review and harden the init script to use safe file operations, secure temporary file handling, and proper permission checks.

Fix this in Jboss Enterprise Application Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2016-8656 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data