An issue was discovered in KTextEditor 5.34.0 through 5.45.0.
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
An issue was discovered in KTextEditor 5.34.0 through 5.45.0. Insecure handling of temporary files in the KTextEditor's kauth_ktexteditor_helper service (as utilized in the Kate text editor) can allow other unprivileged users on the local system to gain root privileges. The attack occurs when one user (who has an unprivileged account but is also able to authenticate as root) writes a text file using Kate into a directory owned by a another unprivileged user. The latter unprivileged user conducts a symlink attack to achieve privilege escalation.
Why it matters now
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.
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2018-10361
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-4w86-wmpg-xc6m
References
More KDE Ktexteditor vulnerabilities
- TI-2022-07856 The LSP (Language Server Protocol) plugin in KDE Kate before 21.12.2 and KTextEditor… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
Sources
- CVE-2018-10361 · CVE Program
- CVE-2018-10361 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-4w86-wmpg-xc6m · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2018-10361 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences