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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2016-1880 Freebsd CVE debrief

CVE-2016-1880 is a high-severity FreeBSD kernel issue in the Linux compatibility layer. According to NVD and the linked FreeBSD advisory, the flaw affects FreeBSD 9.3, 10.1, and 10.2 and is tied to handling of Linux futex robust lists. A local attacker with limited privileges could read portions of kernel memory and potentially escalate privileges.

Vendor
Freebsd
Product
Unknown
CVSS
HIGH 7.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-02-15
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-02-15
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

FreeBSD administrators, security teams, and operators of systems that enable the Linux compatibility layer should treat this as a kernel-level local attack surface issue. Systems running the affected FreeBSD releases are the primary concern.

Technical summary

The vulnerability is described as a Linux compatibility layer defect in the kernel related to Linux futex robust list handling. NVD classifies the impact as local, low-complexity, and requiring low privileges, with confidentiality, integrity, and availability all rated high in the CVSS vector. The published description indicates that a local user may read kernel memory and may potentially gain privilege through unspecified vectors. No exploit mechanics are included in the supplied corpus.

Defensive priority

High priority for affected FreeBSD systems because the issue is in kernel code and can expose kernel memory and possibly enable privilege escalation from a local account.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Verify whether any hosts run FreeBSD 9.3, 10.1, or 10.2 and whether the Linux compatibility layer is enabled.
  • Apply the vendor remediation referenced in FreeBSD-SA-16:03.linux for affected systems.
  • Prioritize patching or upgrading systems that allow untrusted local users, shared hosting, or multi-user access.
  • Review host hardening and local access controls while remediation is pending.
  • Use the official NVD and FreeBSD advisory records to confirm remediation status for each asset.

Evidence notes

The supplied NVD record states that CVE-2016-1880 was published on 2017-02-15 and last modified on 2026-05-13. It lists affected CPEs for FreeBSD 9.3, 10.1, and 10.2 and references the FreeBSD vendor advisory FreeBSD-SA-16:03.linux. The CVSS vector provided by NVD is CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. This debrief avoids unsupported remediation details beyond the referenced vendor advisory.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-1880 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-1880

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2016-1880 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-1880

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.