CVE-2016-9401
popd in bash might allow local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free...
popd in bash might allow local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free via a crafted address.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used 5.5
popd in bash might allow local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free via a crafted address.
- Record
CVE-2016-9401- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 3.1
- 6.2 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 2.1 Low
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-416
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List 6.2
popd in bash might allow local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free via a crafted address.
- Record
CVE-2016-9401- CVSS 3.1
- 6.2 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-416
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2016-10211 6.2
popd in bash might allow local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free via a crafted address.
- Record
EUVD-2016-10211- CVSS 3.1
- 6.2 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-888p-vvcc-q364 5.5
popd in bash might allow local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free...
popd in bash might allow local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free via a crafted address.
- Record
GHSA-888p-vvcc-q364- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-416
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVALPINE-CVE-2016-9401 5.5
popd in bash might allow local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free via a crafted address.
- Record
ALPINE-CVE-2016-9401- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV 5.5
popd in bash might allow local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free via a crafted address.
- Record
CVE-2016-9401- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Show 9 moreShow less
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2016-9401 5.5
popd in bash might allow local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free via a crafted address.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2016-9401- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHSA-2017:0725 7.0
Red Hat Security Advisory: bash security and bug fix update
- Record
RHSA-2017:0725- CVSS 3.0
- 7.0 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHSA-2017:1931 7.0
Red Hat Security Advisory: bash security and bug fix update
- Record
RHSA-2017:1931- CVSS 3.0
- 7.0 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2016-9401 5.5
popd in bash might allow local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free via a crafted address.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2016-9401- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 3.1
- 6.2 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2017-0005No score
Updated bash packages fix security vulnerability
In Bash, the popd command can be tricked to free a user supplied address, which could be used to bypass restricted shells (rsh) on some environments to cause use-after-free (CVE-2016-9401).
- Record
MGASA-2017-0005- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:10106-1No score
bash-4.4-92.1 on GA media
These are all security issues fixed in the bash-4.4-92.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:10106-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2017:1317-1No score
Security update for bash
This update for bash fixes an issue that could lead to syntax errors when parsing scripts that use expr(1) inside loops.
Additionally, the popd build-in now ensures that the normalized stack offset is within bounds before trying to free that stack entry. This fixes a segmentation fault.
- Record
SUSE-SU-2017:1317-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2017:1337-1No score
Security update for bash
This update for bash fixed several issues
This security issue was fixed:
- CVE-2016-9401: popd in bash might allowed local users to bypass the restricted shell and cause a use-after-free via a crafted address (bsc#1010845).
This non-security issue was fixed:
- Fix when HISTSIZE=0 and chattr +a .bash_history (bsc#1031729)
- Record
SUSE-SU-2017:1337-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-3294-1No score
bash vulnerabilities
Bernd Dietzel discovered that Bash incorrectly expanded the hostname when displaying the prompt. If a remote attacker were able to modify a hostname, this flaw could be exploited to execute arbitrary code. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and Ubuntu 16.10. (CVE-2016-0634)
It was discovered that Bash incorrectly handled the SHELLOPTS and PS4 environment variables. A local attacker could use this issue to execute arbitrary code with root privileges. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and Ubuntu 16.10. (CVE-2016-7543)
It was discovered that Bash incorrectly handled the popd command. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to bypass restricted shells. (CVE-2016-9401)
It was discovered that Bash incorrectly handled path autocompletion. A local attacker could possibly use this issue to execute arbitrary code. This issue only affected Ubuntu 17.04. (CVE-2017-5932)
- Record
USN-3294-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
bashAlpine:v3.2 | before 4.3.33-r2 | 4.3.33-r2 |
bashAlpine:v3.3 | before 4.3.42-r5 | 4.3.42-r5 |
bashAlpine:v3.4 | before 4.3.42-r5 | 4.3.42-r5 |
bashAlpine:v3.5 | before 4.3.46-r5 | 4.3.46-r5 |
bashDebian:12 | before 4.4-3 | 4.4-3 |
bashDebian:13 | before 4.4-3 | 4.4-3 |
bashDebian:14 | before 4.4-3 | 4.4-3 |
bashDebian:8 From an advisory covering 2 CVEs | before 4.3-11+deb8u2, plus listed versions 4.3-114.3-11+deb8u1 | 4.3-11+deb8u2 |
bashMageia:5 | before 4.3-48.2.1.mga5 | 4.3-48.2.1.mga5 |
bash-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
Show 38 moreShow less
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
bash-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
bashRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
bash-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
bash-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
bashRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
bash-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
bash-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
bashRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
bash-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
bash-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
bashRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.1.2-48.el6 | 0:4.1.2-48.el6 |
bash-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bash-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bashRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bash-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bash-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bashRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bash-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bash-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bashRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bash-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bash-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bashRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 0:4.2.46-28.el7 | 0:4.2.46-28.el7 |
bashSUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP2 | before 4.3-82.1 | 4.3-82.1 |
bashSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for Raspberry Pi 12 SP2 | before 4.3-82.1 | 4.3-82.1 |
bashSUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP2 | before 4.3-82.1 | 4.3-82.1 |
bashSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2 | before 4.3-82.1 | 4.3-82.1 |
bashSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP2 | before 4.3-82.1 | 4.3-82.1 |
bashSUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 12 SP2 | before 4.3-82.1 | 4.3-82.1 |
bashSUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4 | before 3.2-147.35.1 | 3.2-147.35.1 |
bashSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 | before 3.2-147.35.1 | 3.2-147.35.1 |
bashSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 11 SP4 | before 3.2-147.35.1 | 3.2-147.35.1 |
bashUbuntu:14.04:LTS | before 4.3-7ubuntu1.7, plus listed versions 4.2-5ubuntu34.3-1ubuntu24.3-2ubuntu14.3-3ubuntu14.3-4ubuntu1 Show 9 moreShow less4.3-4ubuntu24.3-6ubuntu14.3-7ubuntu14.3-7ubuntu1.14.3-7ubuntu1.24.3-7ubuntu1.34.3-7ubuntu1.44.3-7ubuntu1.54.3-7ubuntu1.6 | 4.3-7ubuntu1.7 |
bashUbuntu:16.04:LTS | before 4.3-14ubuntu1.2, plus listed versions 4.3-14ubuntu14.3-14ubuntu1.1 | 4.3-14ubuntu1.2 |
bashUbuntu:18.04:LTS | before 4.4-5ubuntu1 | 4.4-5ubuntu1 |
bashUbuntu:14.04:LTS From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 4.3-7ubuntu1.7, plus listed versions 4.2-5ubuntu34.3-1ubuntu24.3-2ubuntu14.3-3ubuntu14.3-4ubuntu1 Show 9 moreShow less4.3-4ubuntu24.3-6ubuntu14.3-7ubuntu14.3-7ubuntu1.14.3-7ubuntu1.24.3-7ubuntu1.34.3-7ubuntu1.44.3-7ubuntu1.54.3-7ubuntu1.6 | 4.3-7ubuntu1.7 |
bashUbuntu:16.04:LTS From an advisory covering 3 CVEs | before 4.3-14ubuntu1.2, plus listed versions 4.3-14ubuntu14.3-14ubuntu1.1 | 4.3-14ubuntu1.2 |
bashopenSUSE:Tumbleweed From an advisory covering 8 CVEs | before 7.0-92.1 | 7.0-92.1 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | ||
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2016-9401 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) in Gnu Bash, published January 6, 2017. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.42%, the 36th percentile. Fixed in bash 4.3.33-r2.
References
rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0725.html
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1931
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/11/17/5
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/11/17/9
securityfocus.com/bid/94398
security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-02
Show 48 moreShow less
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/03/msg00028.html
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9401
github.com/advisories/GHSA-888p-vvcc-q364
security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2016-9401
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-9401
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2017-0005.html
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=19808
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:0725
access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification
access.redhat.com/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/6/html/6.9_Release_Notes/index.html
access.redhat.com/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/6/html/6.9_Technical_Notes/index.html
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1377613
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1379630
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1396383
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2017/rhsa-2017_0725.json
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-0634
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-0634
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-0634
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7543
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7543
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7543
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-9401
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-9401
access.redhat.com/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/7/html/7.4_Release_Notes/index.html
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1264101
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1267478
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1372806
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1377496
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2017/rhsa-2017_1931.json
suse.com/support/update/announcement/2017/suse-su-20171317-1
bugzilla.suse.com/1010845
bugzilla.suse.com/1035371
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-9401
suse.com/support/update/announcement/2017/suse-su-20171337-1
bugzilla.suse.com/1031729
bugzilla.suse.com/976776
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-9401
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-3294-1
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-0634
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-7543
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2017-5932
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-2524
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-6271
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-6277
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-6278
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-7169
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-7186
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-7187