Link following in nano
Priority LOW 32CWE-59Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
A vulnerability was found in GNU Nano that allows a possible privilege escalation through an insecure temporary file. If Nano is killed while editing, a file it saves to an emergency file with the permissions of the running user provides a window of opportunity for attackers to escalate privileges through a malicious symlink.
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00344 28th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Red Hat: 2 advisoriesRed Hat: 2 fixed, 2 without a fix
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | nano | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | — | 2.9.8-3.el8_10 | Patch available | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | — | 5.6.1-6.el9 | Patch available | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | — | — | Not affected | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- nano Vendor— Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in 2.9.8-3.el8_10 Patch available CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in 5.6.1-6.el9 Patch available CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — Not affected CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 5
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:gnu:nano:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2.2.0 to before 8.0 | Vulnerable | GNU |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 9.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
- cpe:2.3:a:gnu:nano:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2.2.0 to before 8.0 Vulnerable ·GNU
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 9.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
Remediation
Red Hat 2 advisories
- RHSA-2024:9430 Released 2024-11-12 · Red Hat rating Lownano security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) nano-5.6.1-6.el9
- RHSA-2024:6986 Released 2024-09-24 · Red Hat rating Lownano security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) nano-2.9.8-3.el8_10
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:6986 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:9430 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2024-5742
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-ffhx-2rrf-9c23
References
More Red Hat Enterprise Linux vulnerabilities
- TI-2019-08259 Underflow in PHP-FPM can lead to RCE KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2018-10530 Code injection in [UNKNOWN] RichFaces KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2014-05975 GNU Bash through 4.3 bash43-025 processes trailing strings after certain malformed… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2014-05157 GNU Bash through 4.3 processes trailing strings after function definitions in the values… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2025-23530 Sudo before 1.9.17p1 allows local users to obtain root access because /etc/nsswitch.conf… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.3
- TI-2021-17490 mod_proxy SSRF KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.0
Sources
- CVE-2024-5742 · CVE Program
- CVE-2024-5742 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-ffhx-2rrf-9c23 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2024-5742 · 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