CVE-2016-1881 Freebsd CVE debrief

Who should care

FreeBSD administrators and security teams should care, especially where untrusted local accounts, multi-user systems, or workloads using the Linux compatibility layer are present.

Technical summary

The NVD record describes a kernel issue in FreeBSD’s Linux compatibility layer involving the setgroups system call. The attack vector is local (AV:L) with low complexity and low privileges required, no user interaction, and potential high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerable CPE entries explicitly include FreeBSD 9.3, 10.1, and 10.2. The record’s primary weakness classification is CWE-264.

Defensive priority

High. Because the issue is locally exploitable and can affect kernel integrity and availability, it should be prioritized on systems where local access is possible or where FreeBSD versions 9.3/10.1/10.2 remain in use.

Recommended defensive actions

• Confirm whether any systems are running FreeBSD 9.3, 10.1, or 10.2.
• Apply the vendor guidance from the FreeBSD security advisory referenced in the CVE record.
• Restrict and monitor local account access on affected hosts until remediation is complete.
• Review whether the Linux compatibility layer is needed on exposed systems and reduce unnecessary exposure where operationally feasible.
• Use the NVD and FreeBSD advisory links to verify remediation status for your specific deployment.

Evidence notes

All statements are supported by the supplied CVE record and reference metadata: NVD describes a local kernel vulnerability in the Linux compatibility layer setgroups system call with crash and potential privilege impact; the CVSS vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H; affected CPEs list FreeBSD 9.3, 10.1, and 10.2; and the record includes a FreeBSD vendor advisory plus Oracle and SecurityTracker references. The CVE was published on 2017-02-15 and later modified on 2026-05-13; those dates are disclosure/record timeline context, not exploit or patch dates.

Official resources