/bin/login in shadow 4.0.18.1 in Debian GNU/Linux, and probably other Linux…
Priority LOW 33CWE-59Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- — Not recorded in CVSS 2.0
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Complete · Complete · Complete
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 2.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
/bin/login in shadow 4.0.18.1 in Debian GNU/Linux, and probably other Linux distributions, allows local users in the utmp group to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a temporary file referenced in a line (aka ut_line) field in a utmp entry.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.00949 61st percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by the CNA
Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2008-5394
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-5848-87gf-wvqv
References
More Debian Shadow vulnerabilities
- TI-2005-04620 Improper input validation in Red Hat shadow CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2017-14076 The Debian shadow package before 1:4.5-1 for Shadow incorrectly lists pts/0 and pts/1 as… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2011-00629 Multiple CRLF injection vulnerabilities in (1) chfn and (2) chsh in shadow 1:4.1.4 allow… CVSS 2.0MEDIUM 6.4
- TI-2013-03706 shadow: TOCTOU (time-of-check time-of-use) race condition when copying and removing directory trees CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 4.7
- TI-2004-00907 Unknown vulnerability in the passwd_check function in Shadow 4.0.4.1, and possibly other… CVSS 2.0MEDIUM 4.6
- TI-2006-01138 useradd in shadow-utils before 4.0.3, and possibly other versions before 4.0.8, does not… CVSS 2.0LOW 3.7
Sources
- CVE-2008-5394 · CVE Program
- CVE-2008-5394 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-5848-87gf-wvqv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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