Link following in Qemu
Priority MEDIUM 44CWE-59Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
Qemu before version 2.9 is vulnerable to an improper link following when built with the VirtFS. A privileged user inside guest could use this flaw to access host file system beyond the shared folder and potentially escalating their privileges on a host.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.03649 89th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unspecified | Qemu | qemu 2.9 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- Qemu Vendorunspecified Affected qemu 2.9 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 10 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 5 (Icehouse)
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 6 (Juno)
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 7 (Kilo)
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 10 (Newton)
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 8 (Liberty)
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 9 (Mitaka)
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2016-9602
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-43hg-r8gj-3mp9
References
Advisory 6
- [qemu-devel] 20170220 [PATCH 00/29] 9pfs: local: fix vulnerability to symlink attacks
- [debian-lts-announce] 20180906 [SECURITY] [DLA 1497-1] qemu security update
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2016-9602
- [oss-security] 20170117 CVE-2016-9602 Qemu: 9p: virtfs allows guest to access host filesystem
- [qemu-devel] 20170130 [PATCH RFC 00/36] 9pfs: local: fix vulnerability to symlink attacks
- GLSA-201704-01
Sources
- CVE-2016-9602 · CVE Program
- CVE-2016-9602 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-43hg-r8gj-3mp9 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2016-9602 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences