CVE-2016-1252 json
The apt package in Debian jessie before 1.0.9.8.4, in Debian unstable before 1.4~beta2, in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS before 1.0.1ubuntu2.17, in Ubun…
published 2017-12-05 8 y ago modified 2026-06-17 4 mo ago also EUVD-2016-2351
- cvss
- 5.9
- version 3.1, NVD
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 7.2%
- EPSS 7.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 94%
- public exploits
- 1
- Exploit-DB
Summary
The apt package in Debian jessie before 1.0.9.8.4, in Debian unstable before 1.4~beta2, in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS before 1.0.1ubuntu2.17, in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS before 1.2.15ubuntu0.2, and in Ubuntu 16.10 before 1.3.2ubuntu0.1 allows man-in-the-middle attackers to bypass a repository-signing protection mechanism by leveraging improper error handling when validating InRelease file signatures.
Patch / fix
- debian advanced_package_tool 1.0.9.8.4
- apt Debian 14, Debian 13, Debian 12 1.4~beta2
debian advisories DEBIAN-CVE-2016-1252
- apt Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 1.0.1ubuntu2.17
- apt Ubuntu 16.04 LTS 1.2.15ubuntu0.2
ubuntu advisories UBUNTU-CVE-2016-1252
Ubuntu security data © Canonical Ltd., from https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices via OSV; changed: normalised to fixed package versions per release. CC BY-SA 4.0
Timeline
- First public exploit (EDB-40916)
- Published
Exploit prediction
7.25% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 94% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).
Exploits and checks
- EDB-40916 APT - Repository Signing Bypass via Memory Allocation Failure remote, 2016-12-14
- bugs.launchpad.net https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apt/+bug/1647467 referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified
- bugs.chromium.org https://bugs.chromium.org/p/project-zero/issues/detail?id=1020 referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVD | 3.1 | 5.9 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N |
| NVD | 2.0 | 4.3 | AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N |
Classification
- Weakness
-
- CWE-295 Improper Certificate Validation
References
-
exploit-db.com
/exploits/40916/
exploit, issue-tracking, third-party-advisory, vdb-entry
-
bugs.launchpad.net
/ubuntu/+source/apt/+bug/1647467
exploit, issue-tracking, third-party-advisory
-
bugs.chromium.org
/p/project-zero/issues/detail?id=1020
exploit, issue-tracking, third-party-advisory
-
debian.org
/security/2016/dsa-3733
vendor-advisory, issue-tracking
-
ubuntu.com
/usn/USN-3156-1
vendor-advisory, third-party-advisory
-
packetstormsecurity.com
/files/140145/apt-Repository-Signing-Bypass.html
issue-tracking, third-party-advisory, vdb-entry
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2016-1252
- NVD CVE-2016-1252
Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.