CVE-2015-5287Public exploit

Local root escalation via predictable coredump symlink

Published Dec 7, 2015 · Updated Aug 27, 2026

Symlink handling in ABRT before 2.7.1 allows local users with write access to an ABRT problem directory to gain root privileges. In abrt-hook-ccpp, xopen3 opens a predictable basename-coredump path with O_TRUNC and follows an attacker-planted symlink to its target. Exploitation requires local write access to the dump directory and lets the coredump overwrite a root-controlled file.

CVSS severity6.9
Medium
EPSS probability4.96%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Symlink handling in ABRT before 2.7.1 allows local users with write access to an ABRT problem directory to gain root privileges. In abrt-hook-ccpp, xopen3 opens a predictable basename-coredump path with O_TRUNC and follows an attacker-planted symlink to its target. Exploitation requires local write access to the dump directory and lets the coredump overwrite a root-controlled file.

The record

CVE
CVE-2015-5287
Published
Dec 7, 2015
Updated
Aug 27, 2026
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 7, 2015CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 27, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

6.9NVDAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
6.9Red HatAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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