systemd before 247 does not adequately block local privilege escalation for some Sudo…
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Privilege escalation
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-269.
Summary
systemd before 247 does not adequately block local privilege escalation for some Sudo configurations, e.g., plausible sudoers files in which the "systemctl status" command may be executed. Specifically, systemd does not set LESSSECURE to 1, and thus other programs may be launched from the less program. This presents a substantial security risk when running systemctl from Sudo, because less executes as root when the terminal size is too small to show the complete systemctl output.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
Red Hat 3 advisories
- RHSA-2024:7705 Released 2024-10-07 · Red Hat rating Moderatesystemd security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7 ELS) libgudev1-219-78.el7_9.11, libgudev1-219-78.el7_9.11.ppc, libgudev1-devel-219-78.el7_9.11 +8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Optional (v. 7 ELS) systemd-journal-gateway-219-78.el7_9.11, systemd-networkd-219-78.el7_9.11, systemd-resolved-219-78.el7_9.11 +1
- RHSA-2024:1105 Released 2024-03-05 · Red Hat rating Moderatesystemd security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.8.6) systemd-239-58.el8_6.13, systemd-container-239-58.el8_6.13, systemd-devel-239-58.el8_6.13 +5
- RHSA-2023:3837 Released 2023-06-27 · Red Hat rating Moderatesystemd security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) systemd-239-74.el8_8.2, systemd-container-239-74.el8_8.2, systemd-devel-239-74.el8_8.2 +5
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. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:3837 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.8.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:1105 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7 ELS) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:7705 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Optional (v. 7 ELS) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:7705 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-26604
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-8989-8fhv-vq42
References
Exploit 2
Advisory 3
Sources
- CVE-2023-26604 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-26604 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-8989-8fhv-vq42 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2023-26604 · 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