CVE-2015-3315

Public exploit available. Not confirmed exploited in the wild yet. A vendor fix is available.

CVSS 3.07.8High EPSS percentile92nd4.8% chance in 30 days CISA KEVNot listedNo confirmed exploitation
Public exploit: 1 source FixVendor fixNo build named by the sources

Published 2017-06-26Updated 2026-05-13Sources: CVE.org, NVD

NVD CVE.org

What to do

The vendor has published a fix. Version details are below where the sources state them.

Steps

Written by AI from the record

Vendor advisory Some work to apply

Check it yourselfA free OpenVAS check exists for this CVE. Run it against your hosts.Is your organisation exposed?Request an assessment to establish which checks fit your systems.

What it is

From the CVE record

Automatic Bug Reporting Tool (ABRT) allows local users to read, change the ownership of, or have other unspecified impact on arbitrary files via a symlink attack on (1) /var/tmp/abrt/*/maps, (2) /tmp/jvm-*/hs_error.log, (3) /proc/*/exe, (4) /etc/os-release in a chroot, or (5) an unspecified root directory related to librpm.

In plain language

Written by AI from the record

CVE-2015-3315 is a local security flaw in the automatic bug reporting tool (ABRT) that can let a normal user use a symlink trick to read or change ownership of arbitrary files; most small businesses should worry only if ABRT is installed and the tool runs with higher privileges.

CVE-2015-3315 is a symlink-following flaw (CWE-59) in automatic bug reporting tool (ABRT) that allows a local user to exploit a symlink race/direct symlink creation in shared temporary directories so the privileged ABRT process reads, changes ownership, or otherwise impacts files outside the intended area.

If you're affected

Sensitive file disclosure
Unauthorized file ownership changes
Potential system file tampering
Local privilege escalation risk

What is it

ABRT is a helper that automatically collects information when the system or a program crashes. This bug is like a mailroom that follows a shortcut note left by someone else: a local user can trick ABRT into looking at a different file than it was supposed to, which can expose data or change who owns files. In practice, the danger is mainly for systems where someone has local access and ABRT runs with higher privileges.

Who is affected

This matters if your company runs the automatic bug reporting tool (ABRT) and also has any local accounts with basic permissions on those machines. The attack requires local access, and it depends on whether the ABRT behavior reaches the vulnerable temporary paths; in the default configuration, it is not reachable by default. If an attacker can create symlinks in the shared temporary locations ABRT processes and ABRT runs those files with elevated privileges, then you should treat this as a real risk.

How urgent is it

This is AMBER: a public exploit exists, and the flaw can directly cause sensitive file read and ownership changes when a local user can reach the vulnerable temporary-path handling. It’s not a remote internet problem, but you should act because local access plus ABRT’s privileged processing is enough to cause damage.

What to do — in detail

Confirm exposure

Identify where automatic bug reporting tool (ABRT) is installed and whether it is running on your endpoints/servers.
Determine if ABRT runs with elevated privileges (for example, as a system service) on those machines.
Check permissions on the shared temporary directories ABRT uses (commonly /var/tmp and /tmp) and whether untrusted/local users can create symbolic links inside the specific ABRT temp subdirectories ABRT processes.

Apply the fix

Update ABRT to a release that includes the vendor changes referenced by these commits:
- 17cb66b13997b0159b4253b3f5722db79f476d68
- 4f2c1ddd3e3b81d2d5146b883115371f1cada9f9
- 80408e9e24a1c10f85fd969e1853e0f192157f92
- d6e2f6f128cef4c21cb80941ae674c9842681aa7
Use your operating system’s ABRT package update mechanism when it provides a build containing those upstream fixes (preferred), or upgrade ABRT from source such that those fixes are included.

Workarounds if patching is delayed

Tighten permissions/ownership on the relevant temporary directories so regular users cannot create or swap symbolic links in the ABRT-processed paths.
Limit which users can trigger ABRT and reduce who can interact with the temporary locations it will process.
Monitor for suspicious activity around ABRT temp directories (unexpected symlinks or files appearing right before ABRT processing).

What to monitor after updating

ABRT crash-report handling still working as expected.
Absence of unusual file ownership changes on sensitive paths that ABRT should not touch.

Notes on exploitation status

KEV does not list this issue, but there is public exploit availability. So while it’s not automatically an “internet worm” style issue, the local attack path is practical when conditions are met.

Technical context

Severity is high (ABRT symlink-following) with impact including arbitrary file read and ownership change. The weakness is CWE-59 (improper handling of symbolic links), specifically a symlink race/direct symlink creation scenario in shared temporary locations that ABRT processes as part of routine operations. Preconditions from the findings: local access, ABRT installed, and the target files present in temporary paths that ABRT monitors (such as /var/tmp and /tmp) or within a chroot-related environment; successful reachability depends on whether ABRT’s behavior reaches those paths (default config is noted as not reachable). Exploitation maturity: a public exploit is available, and press attention has been rising; however, this is not listed in CISA KEV. KEV status implies no confirmed widespread systemic exploitation signal in KEV, so you should focus on whether ABRT runs with elevated privileges and whether local users can place symlinks in the processed temp locations.

This is a general assessment based on public vulnerability data. It does not account for your specific infrastructure — when in doubt, consult a security specialist.

Exploitation

Where each signal puts this CVE on the scale from published to confirmed exploited.

EPSS92nd

Public exploit

CISA KEV

Not in the catalog. CISA has not confirmed exploitation.

Public exploits

1 source with a proof of concept or module.

Exploit links, PoCs and Metasploit modules after sign-in

EPSS

4.8% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the 92nd percentile of scored CVEs.

Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST.org. A probability, not a confirmation.

Attention now

Rising.

Real risk signals with little public attention so far.

Lifecycle

A public exploit existed 67 days before the patch.

2026-09-22EPSS band changemoderate → lowepss band change
2026-09-21EPSS band changelow → moderateepss band change
2026-09-06EPSS band changemoderate → 0epss band change
2026-09-05EPSS band change0 → moderateepss band change
2026-08-31EPSS band changemoderate → 0epss band change
2026-08-29EPSS band changelow → moderate

Affected products

redhatcommercial · USaka red hat
- automatic bug reporting toolOn-premOperating Systems / linux-distro

And 1 more affected product. See all after sign-in

Technical detail

CVSS 3.0 vector

Open in the CVSS calculator

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Scored 7.8 by NVD.

How it is reached

Attack Vector LocalRequires local access to the vulnerable system (e.g. local login, malicious file)
Attack Complexity LowNo special conditions — the attack can be reliably reproduced
Privileges Required LowRequires basic user-level privileges
User Interaction NoneNo user interaction needed — fully automated exploitation

Scope

Scope UnchangedImpact is limited to the vulnerable component itself

Impact if exploited

Confidentiality HighTotal information disclosure — all data in the component is compromised
Integrity HighTotal loss of integrity — attacker can modify any data in the component
Availability HighTotal denial of service — the component is completely unavailable