Grub2: bypass the grub password protection feature
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Physical
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-290.
Summary
An authentication bypass flaw was found in GRUB due to the way that GRUB uses the UUID of a device to search for the configuration file that contains the password hash for the GRUB password protection feature. An attacker capable of attaching an external drive such as a USB stick containing a file system with a duplicate UUID (the same as in the "/boot/" file system) can bypass the GRUB password protection feature on UEFI systems, which enumerate removable drives before non-removable ones. This issue was introduced in a downstream patch in Red Hat's version of grub2 and does not affect the upstream package.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | — | 1:2.06-70.el9_3.2 | Patch available | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 Extended Update Support | — | 1:2.06-27.el9_0.16 | Patch available | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Extended Update Support | — | 1:2.06-61.el9_2.2 | Patch available | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | — | — | Not affected | CNA |
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in 1:2.06-70.el9_3.2 Patch available CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 Extended Update Support VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in 1:2.06-27.el9_0.16 Patch available CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Extended Update Support VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in 1:2.06-61.el9_2.2 Patch available CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — Not affected CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:gnu:grub2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Vulnerable | GNU |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 9.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:38:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 38 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:39:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 39 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
- cpe:2.3:a:gnu:grub2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·GNU
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 9.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:38:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 38 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:39:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 39 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
Remediation
Red Hat 3 advisories
- RHSA-2024:0437 Released 2024-01-25 · Red Hat rating Moderategrub2 security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.0) grub2-1:2.06-27.el9_0.16, grub2-common-1:2.06-27.el9_0.16, grub2-efi-aa64-1:2.06-27.el9_0.16 +13
- RHSA-2024:0468 Released 2024-01-25 · Red Hat rating Moderategrub2 security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) grub2-1:2.06-70.el9_3.2, grub2-common-1:2.06-70.el9_3.2, grub2-efi-aa64-1:2.06-70.el9_3.2 +13
- RHSA-2024:0456 Released 2024-01-25 · Red Hat rating Moderategrub2 security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.2) grub2-1:2.06-61.el9_2.2, grub2-common-1:2.06-61.el9_2.2, grub2-efi-aa64-1:2.06-61.el9_2.2 +13
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:0468 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:0437 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:0456 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-4001
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-rr4v-xrwq-7rhx
References
More Red Hat Enterprise Linux vulnerabilities
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- TI-2025-23530 Sudo before 1.9.17p1 allows local users to obtain root access because /etc/nsswitch.conf… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.3
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Sources
- CVE-2023-4001 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-4001 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-rr4v-xrwq-7rhx · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2023-4001 · 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