Description
Kevin Backhouse discovered that apport would read a user-supplied configuration file with elevated privileges. By replacing the file with a symbolic link, a user could get apport to read any file on the system as root, with unknown consequences.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canonical | apport | 2.14.1 – < 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29+esm2, 2.20.1 – < 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.20, 2.20.9 – < 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8, 2.20.11 – < 2.20.11-0ubuntu8.1 | 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29+esm2 |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | apport | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | USN-4171-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | apport | 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.20 | USN-4171-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | apport | 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29+esm2 | USN-4171-2 |
Advisories 2
- USN-4171-1 apport vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026
- USN-4171-2 apport vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026