CVE-2016-9962: Github.com/opencontainers/runc Information Exposure Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-gp4j-w3vj-7299
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CVSS 6.4
CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-9962 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.4) information exposure vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Github.com/opencontainers/runc libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves information exposure in runc. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.0.0-rc3.

CVE-2016-9962 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-9962
GHSA Identifier GHSA-gp4j-w3vj-7299
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.4
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Product Github.com/opencontainers/runc
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.4

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required High (PR:H)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2016-9962

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/opencontainers/runc dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

github.com/opencontainers/runc fixed: 1.0.0-rc3 
Upgrade github.com/opencontainers/runc to 1.0.0-rc3
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for github.com/opencontainers/runc

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2016-9962, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/opencontainers/runc:

inspect dependencies for github.com/opencontainers/runc

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/opencontainers/runc in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.0.0-rc3), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. In Github.com/opencontainers/runc, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

RunC allowed additional container processes via 'runc exec' to be ptraced by the pid 1 of the container. This allows the main processes of the container, if running as root, to gain access to file-descriptors of these new processes during the initialization and can lead to container escapes or modification of runC state before the process is fully placed inside the container.

CVE-2016-9962 Affected Github.com/opencontainers/runc Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.0.0-rc3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/opencontainers/runc
golang/github.com/opencontainers/runc
Go
< 1.0.0-rc3
1.0.0-rc3

References

NVD — CVE-2016-9962 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9962
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/commit/50a19c6ff828c58e5dab13830bd3dacde268afe5
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/commit/5d93fed3d27f1e2bab58bad13b180a7a81d0b378
Github.com/opencontainers/runc Security Information SECURITY
https://access.redhat.com/security/vulnerabilities/cve-2016-9962
bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1012568#c6
Github.com/opencontainers/runc Release RELEASE
https://github.com/docker/docker/releases/tag/v1.12.6
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/BQAXJMMLRU7DD2IMG47SR2K4BOFFG7FZ
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FINGBFMIXBG6B6ZWYH3TMRP5V3PDBNXR
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UVM7FCOQMPKOFLDTUYSS4ES76DDM56VP
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/WUQ3MQNEL5IBZZLMLR72Q4YDCL2SCKRK
Github.com/opencontainers/runc Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-34
NVD — CVE-2016-9962 NVD
https://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2016-9962
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2017-01... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0116.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2017-01... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0123.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2017-01... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0127.html
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2017... WEB
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2017/Jan/21
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2017... WEB
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2017/Jan/29
Github.com/opencontainers/runc Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/540001/100/0/threaded
Github.com/opencontainers/runc Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95361

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-9962?
CVE-2016-9962 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/opencontainers/runc involving Information Exposure in RunC under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Github.com/opencontainers/runc versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.0.0-rc3 across affected packages: github.com/opencontainers/runc.
What version fixes CVE-2016-9962?
Upgrading to 1.0.0-rc3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/opencontainers/runc affected?
Yes, github.com/opencontainers/runc is affected in releases prior to 1.0.0-rc3. Upgrade your dependency to 1.0.0-rc3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-9962?
CVE-2016-9962 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-9962?
CVE-2016-9962 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2016-9962?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/opencontainers/runc'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-gp4j-w3vj-7299",
  "modified" : "2021-05-20T16:22:33Z",
  "published" : "2021-12-20T18:21:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-9962" ],
  "summary" : "Information Exposure in RunC",
  "details" : "RunC allowed additional container processes via 'runc exec' to be ptraced by the pid 1 of the container.  This allows the main processes of the container, if running as root, to gain access to file-descriptors of these new processes during the initialization and can lead to container escapes or modification of runC state before the process is fully placed inside the container.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
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  } ],
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      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.0.0-rc3"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.0.0-rc2"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/commit/50a19c6ff828c58e5dab13830bd3dacde268afe5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/commit/5d93fed3d27f1e2bab58bad13b180a7a81d0b378"
  }, {
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    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/security/vulnerabilities/cve-2016-9962"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1012568#c6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/docker/docker/releases/tag/v1.12.6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/BQAXJMMLRU7DD2IMG47SR2K4BOFFG7FZ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FINGBFMIXBG6B6ZWYH3TMRP5V3PDBNXR"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UVM7FCOQMPKOFLDTUYSS4ES76DDM56VP"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/WUQ3MQNEL5IBZZLMLR72Q4YDCL2SCKRK"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-34"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2016-9962"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0116.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0123.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0127.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2017/Jan/21"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2017/Jan/29"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/540001/100/0/threaded"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95361"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-20T16:22:33Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}