Description
gnome-pty-helper in GNOME libzvt2 and libvte4 allows local users to spoof the logon hostname via a modified DISPLAY environment variable. NOTE: the severity of this issue has been disputed.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | vte | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 13 | vte | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | vte | No fix yet | — |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 1
- Gnome-PTY-Helper UTMP - Hostname Spoofing EDB-26321 · local · Oct 3, 2005 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
References
- ADV-2005-1931 vdb-entry
- 20051007 gnome-pty-helper writes arbitrary utmp records mailing-list
- 15004 vdb-entry
- libzvt-gnomeptyhelper-spoof(22496) vdb-entry
- 17023 third-party-advisory
- http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=330907
- http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=317312