CVE-2023-26604
HIGH
Published Mar 3, 20233y ago · Modified Jun 17, 20262w ago
7.8 CVSS 3.1
Published Mar 3, 2023 3y ago
Last Modified Jun 17, 2026 2w ago
Description
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.
CVSS Details
Base Score
Exploitability
Impact
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Attack Vector Local
Attack Complexity Low
Privileges Required Low
User Interaction None
Scope Unchanged
Confidentiality High
Integrity High
Availability High
Threat Intelligence
No active exploitation signals — not in CISA KEV and no EPSS score yet.
Exploit & Patch Status
Public Exploit Known
No Patch Available
Weaknesses 1
CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management Authorization
Affected Products 2
| Vendor | Product | Version | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| debian | debian_linux | 10.0 | any |
| systemd_project | systemd | * | <246.7 |
References 6
- packetstormsecurity.com http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174130/systemd-246-Local-Root-Privilege-Escalation.html
- blog.compass-security.com https://blog.compass-security.com/2012/10/dangerous-sudoers-entries-part-2-insecure-functionality/
- github.com https://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/main/NEWS#L4335-L4340
- lists.debian.org https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/03/msg00032.html
- medium.com https://medium.com/%40zenmoviefornotification/saidov-maxim-cve-2023-26604-c1232a526ba7
- security.netapp.com https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230505-0009/
Remediation
No remediation data recorded yet
Check vendor advisories and the NVD entry for patch availability.