CVE-2015-1328

HIGH EXPLOITED

Linux kernel <3.19.0-21.21 - Privilege Escalation

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

CVE-2015-1328 has been observed exploited in the wild (reported by VulnCheck KEV). EIP tracks 13 public exploits from researchers including Metasploit, rebel, elit3pwner, including a Metasploit module exploits/linux/local/overlayfs_priv_esc.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This Metasploit module exploits CVE-2015-1328 and CVE-2015-8660, both related to overlayfs privilege escalation vulnerabilities in specific Ubuntu kernel versions. It checks for vulnerable kernels, compiles or drops an exploit binary, and executes it to gain elevated privileges.

Description

The overlayfs implementation in the linux (aka Linux kernel) package before 3.19.0-21.21 in Ubuntu through 15.04 does not properly check permissions for file creation in the upper filesystem directory, which allows local users to obtain root access by leveraging a configuration in which overlayfs is permitted in an arbitrary mount namespace.

Exploits (13)

exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by Metasploit · rubylocallinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40688

This Metasploit module exploits CVE-2015-1328 and CVE-2015-8660, both related to overlayfs privilege escalation vulnerabilities in specific Ubuntu kernel versions. It checks for vulnerable kernels, compiles or drops an exploit binary, and executes it to gain elevated privileges.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Linux Kernel (Ubuntu specific versions)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: gcc (for compilation) · writable directory (e.g., /tmp) · vulnerable kernel version
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by rebel · textlocallinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/37293

This exploit leverages a flaw in overlayfs where file permissions are not correctly checked during copy-up operations, allowing an unprivileged user to escalate privileges by manipulating files in the upper filesystem directory. The provided example demonstrates creating a world-writable /etc/ld.so.preload file to achieve root access.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Linux Kernel with overlayfs and CONFIG_USER_NS=y (Ubuntu 12.04, 14.04, 14.10, 15.04)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Unprivileged user access · Kernel with CONFIG_USER_NS=y · overlayfs enabled · Mount namespace access
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by rebel · clocallinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/37292

This exploit leverages CVE-2015-1328 to achieve local privilege escalation on Ubuntu systems by manipulating overlayfs mount permissions and injecting a malicious shared library via /etc/ld.so.preload. It spawns threads to create namespaces and mount overlayfs in a way that allows writing to restricted files.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Ubuntu 12.04, 14.04, 14.10, 15.04 (Kernels before 2015-06-15)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Local access to the target system · Kernel with vulnerable overlayfs implementation
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 10 stars
by elit3pwner · local
https://github.com/elit3pwner/CVE-2015-1328-GoldenEye

This is a working local privilege escalation exploit for CVE-2015-1328, targeting Ubuntu systems with kernels before 2015-06-15. It leverages overlayfs incorrect permission handling to gain root access by manipulating /etc/ld.so.preload.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Linux kernel (Ubuntu 12.04, 14.04, 14.10, 15.04 with kernels before 2015-06-15)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Local access to the target system · Overlayfs enabled in the kernel · User namespace support
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WRITEUP
by saqib-butt2 · poc
https://github.com/saqib-butt2/blackbox-pentesting-infsecos

This repository documents a black-box penetration test against SecOS:1 (VulnHub), detailing the exploitation of CVE-2015-1328 (OverlayFS privilege escalation) among other vulnerabilities. It includes step-by-step commands, tools used, and post-exploitation activities, but does not contain functional exploit code.

Classification
Writeup 95%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Linux Kernel 3.13.0-24 (OverlayFS)
Auth required
Prerequisites: access to a vulnerable Linux kernel (3.13.0-24) · local user access
devstral-2 · analyzed May 19, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by 0xf1d0 · local
https://github.com/0xf1d0/CVE-2015-1328

This is a functional privilege escalation PoC for CVE-2015-1328, exploiting overlayfs and user namespaces to gain root access via LD_PRELOAD manipulation. The exploit creates isolated namespaces, mounts overlayfs, and injects a malicious shared library to hijack getuid() and spawn a root shell.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Linux kernel with overlayfs and user namespaces (e.g., Ubuntu 14.04 LTS with kernel versions prior to 3.19.0-21.21)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: User namespaces enabled (kernel.unprivileged_userns_clone=1) · Overlayfs filesystem support · Unpatched kernel version · Local unprivileged user access
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WRITEUP
by thieveshkar · poc
https://github.com/thieveshkar/RootQuest-CTF-Box-Multi-Stage-Exploitation-VM

This repository is a writeup and documentation for a CTF VM (RootQuest) that includes a multi-stage exploitation path, with one stage involving the use of CVE-2015-1328 (OverlayFS) for privilege escalation. It does not contain exploit code but describes the process and provides links to external resources.

Classification
Writeup 100%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: Linux Kernel (OverlayFS)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Access to the CTF VM · Completion of prior stages in the CTF
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by 1mgR00T · local
https://github.com/1mgR00T/CVE-2015-1328

This exploit leverages CVE-2015-1328, a vulnerability in overlayfs on Ubuntu kernels before 2015-06-15, to achieve local privilege escalation by manipulating mount namespaces and creating a malicious shared library loaded via /etc/ld.so.preload.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Ubuntu 12.04, 14.04, 14.10, 15.04 (Kernels before 2015-06-15)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Unpatched Ubuntu system with vulnerable kernel · User namespace creation permissions
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by YastrebX · local
https://github.com/YastrebX/CVE-2015-1328

This exploit leverages CVE-2015-1328, a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's overlayfs implementation, to achieve local privilege escalation (LPE) by manipulating mount namespaces and preloading a malicious shared library. The PoC creates a fake /etc/ld.so.preload file and injects a library that spawns a root shell when /bin/su is executed.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Linux kernel (versions affected by CVE-2015-1328)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: User namespace creation permissions (unprivileged user namespaces enabled) · GCC and development tools to compile the shared library · Access to overlayfs and mount syscalls
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
metasploit WORKING POC GOOD
by h00die <[email protected]>, rebel · rubypoc
https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/linux/local/overlayfs_priv_esc.rb

This Metasploit module exploits CVE-2015-1328 and CVE-2015-8660, both privilege escalation vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel's overlayfs implementation. It checks for vulnerable kernel versions, compiles or drops the exploit binary, and executes it to gain root privileges.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Linux kernel (Ubuntu, Fedora, Red Hat) with overlayfs
No auth needed
Prerequisites: gcc (for live compilation) · writable directory (e.g., /tmp) · vulnerable kernel version
devstral-2 · analyzed Apr 23, 2026 Full analysis →

References (6)

Core 6
Core References
Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry x_refsource_bid
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/75206
Exploit, Third Party Advisory exploit x_refsource_exploit-db
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/37292/
Exploit, VDB Entry exploit x_refsource_exploit-db
http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40688/
Third Party Advisory x_refsource_confirm
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2015-1328
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory mailing-list x_refsource_mlist
http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2015/q2/717

Scores

CVSS v3 7.8
EPSS 0.8957
EPSS Percentile 99.6%
Attack Vector LOCAL
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Details

VulnCheck KEV 2021-08-19
CWE
CWE-264
Status published
Products (2)
canonical/ubuntu_linux < 15.04
linux/linux_kernel < 3.19
Published Nov 28, 2016
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026