CVE-2017-16638
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 · uneditedThe Gentoo net-misc/vde package before version 2.3.2-r4 may allow members of the "qemu" group to gain root privileges by creating a hard link in a directory on which "chown" is called recursively by the OpenRC service script.
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 confidenceThe Gentoo net-misc/vde package before version 2.3.2-r4 contains an insecure OpenRC service script that executes recursive chown on a directory accessible to members of the qemu group. Attackers in the qemu group can create hard links to sensitive system files within this directory, causing the chown operation to change ownership of those files to the attacker, enabling privilege escalation to root.
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< 2.3.2CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify net-misc/vde package installationCheck if the net-misc/vde package is installed on the Gentoo system using the package manager (emerge --search or qlist)Affected if The package is installed and its version is below 2.3.2-r4
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Identify the installed Vde versionQuery the installed version of net-misc/vde using the Gentoo package management toolsAffected if The installed version is any version prior to 2.3.2-r4 (the package version is less than 2.3.2)
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Locate the OpenRC service scriptFind the OpenRC init script for vde (typically in /etc/init.d/) and inspect its contents for the vulnerable chown operationAffected if The service script exists and contains a recursive chown command operating on a directory accessible to the qemu group
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Verify qemu group configurationCheck if the qemu group exists on the system and has members (typically via /etc/group)Affected if The qemu group exists and contains user accounts, creating the condition for potential exploitation
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Identify the vulnerable directory pathExamine the service script to determine which directory path is being recursively chownedAffected if The script performs recursive chown on a directory that is writable by or accessible to members of the qemu group
A system is affected if net-misc/vde version is below 2.3.2-r4, the vulnerable OpenRC service script with recursive chown is present, and the qemu group has members who could exploit the hard link technique to change ownership of sensitive 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.
dbcve · scoped2.3.2
Upgrade net-misc/vde to version 2.3.2-r4 or later to obtain the fixed service script that addresses the recursive chown vulnerability.
net-misc/vde version 2.3.2-r4 or later
- 1. Update the Gentoo package repository: `emerge --sync` or `eix-sync`
- 2. Upgrade net-misc/vde to version 2.3.2-r4 or later: `emerge --ask net-misc/vde`
- 3. Verify the installed version includes the fix: `emerge -pv net-misc/vde`
- 4. If the service is running, restart it to apply changes: `/etc/init.d/vde restart`
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16638 — 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-2017-16638 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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