Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2016-10156 is a local privilege escalation flaw in systemd v228. Under timer-related behavior, the vulnerable code could create world-writable SUID files, letting a local attacker potentially gain root privileges. The provided record says it is fixed in systemd v229.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority where untrusted local users exist. It is not described as remote code execution, but successful abuse could give root control on affected hosts.
Technical view
The issue is attributed to systemd v228 /src/basic/fs-util.c. The CVE description links the flaw to systemd timers creating unsafe world-writable SUID files. Upstream commits are referenced as remediation context, and the CVE states the issue is fixed in v229.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Linux systems running systemd v228 or downstream packages carrying the vulnerable behavior. The bundle does not provide complete product or distribution coverage, so vulnerability managers should verify distro-specific package versions and backports.
Exploitation context
The vulnerability requires local access. The source bundle includes an Exploit-DB reference, indicating public exploit information exists, but KEV is false and the provided sources do not establish active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
Evidence is concise: the CVE states root escalation via world-writable SUID files in systemd v228 and a fix in v229. Affected vendor/product metadata is incomplete, so distribution backport analysis is necessary.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade systemd to v229 or a vendor-patched package.
- Check distribution advisories for backported fixes.
- Prioritize systems allowing untrusted local users or shared shell access.
- Review vendor guidance before applying operational workarounds.
Validation and detection
- Inventory systems running systemd v228 or equivalent downstream packages.
- Confirm whether vendor packages include the linked upstream fixes.
- Audit for unexpected world-writable SUID files.
- Review systemd timer usage on exposed multi-user hosts.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2016-10156 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/systemd/systemd/commit/06eeacb6fe029804f296b065b3ce91e796e1cd0eCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1020601CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- 41171CVE reference · exploit, x_refsource_EXPLOIT-DB
- https://github.com/systemd/systemd/commit/ee735086f8670be1591fa9593e80dd60163a7a2fCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.