# CVE-2018-6552: apport: Apport does not properly handle crashes originating from a PID namespace allowing local users to create certain files...

CVE-2018-6552 is fixed in 11 products on 1 platform, first by apport 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1, released May 30, 2018. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-6552
- Priority: High
- CVSS: n/a (High)
- EPSS: 0.0039
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: May 30, 2018

## Description

Apport does not properly handle crashes originating from a PID namespace allowing local users to create certain files as root which an attacker could leverage to perform a denial of service via resource exhaustion, possibly gain root privileges, or escape from containers. The is_same_ns() function returns True when /proc/<global pid>/ does not exist in order to indicate that the crash should be handled in the global namespace rather than inside of a container. However, the portion of the data/apport code that decides whether or not to forward a crash to a container does not always replace sys.argv[1] with the value stored in the host_pid variable when /proc/<global pid>/ does not exist which results in the container pid being used in the global namespace. This flaw affects versions 2.20.8-0ubuntu4 through 2.20.9-0ubuntu7, 2.20.7-0ubuntu3.7, 2.20.7-0ubuntu3.8, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15 through 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.17, and 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.28.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | apport Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1 | [apport 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1.md) | May 30, 2018 |
| Linux | apport-gtk Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1 | [apport-gtk 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-gtk-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1.md) | May 30, 2018 |
| Linux | apport-kde Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1 | [apport-kde 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-kde-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1.md) | May 30, 2018 |
| Linux | apport-noui Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1 | [apport-noui 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-noui-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1.md) | May 30, 2018 |
| Linux | apport-retrace Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1 | [apport-retrace 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-retrace-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1.md) | May 30, 2018 |
| Linux | apport-valgrind Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1 | [apport-valgrind 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-valgrind-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1.md) | May 30, 2018 |
| Linux | dh-apport Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1 | [dh-apport 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-dh-apport-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1.md) | May 30, 2018 |
| Linux | python-apport Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1 | [python-apport 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-python-apport-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1.md) | May 30, 2018 |
| Linux | python-problem-report Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1 | [python-problem-report 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-python-problem-report-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1.md) | May 30, 2018 |
| Linux | python3-apport Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1 | [python3-apport 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-python3-apport-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1.md) | May 30, 2018 |
| Linux | python3-problem-report Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1 | [python3-problem-report 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-python3-problem-report-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1.md) | May 30, 2018 |

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Data as of 2026-11-07T06:34:28Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo