Directory traversal vulnerability in the read_long_names function in libelf/elf_begin.c in elfutils 0.152 and 0.161 allows remote attackers to write to arbitrary files to the root directory via a / (slash) in a crafted archive, as demonstrated using the ar program.
Conclusion & alert: CVE-2014-9447 is rated Moderate Risk (59/100): CVSS Medium severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 5.02%, 91th percentile). Core evidence: EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. EPSS rose +1.50% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. Mandatory action: High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.
Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.
EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).
| # | Date | Old EPSS score | New EPSS score | Delta (New - Old) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-06-15 | 3.52% | 5.02% | +1.50% |
| 2 | 2025-11-17 | 4.70% | 3.52% | -1.18% |
| 3 | 2025-07-13 | — | 4.70% | — |
Full EPSS history (12 records total)
CVSS metrics for this CVE.
| Base score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability | Impact | Score source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.4 | 2.0 | MEDIUM |
|
10.0 | 4.9 | [email protected] |
| vendor | priority | summary | link |
|---|---|---|---|
debian
|
not yet assigned | CVE-2014-9447 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (elfutils), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. | https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2014-9447 |
redhat
|
low | — | https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-9447 |
suse
|
medium | CVE-2014-9447 severity moderate: SUSE including 415 source package names (0.9.1:elfutils-0.158-6.1, 0.9.1:libasm1-0.158-6.1, …), 816 product×package rows across 94 product lines (Container caasp/v4/default-http-backend, Container caasp/v4/dnsmasq-nanny, … (94 product lines)): Fixed 659, Known Affected 157. | https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-9447/ |
ubuntu
|
medium | CVE-2014-9447 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (elfutils), 5 status rows across 5 suites (lucid, precise, trusty, upstream, utopic): released 5. | https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2014-9447 |
| Vendor | Product | Version | Raw CPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| elfutils_project | elfutils | 0.152 | cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.152:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| elfutils_project | elfutils | 0.161 | cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.161:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |