Description
passwd command in shadow in Ubuntu 5.04 through 6.06 LTS, when called with the -f, -g, or -s flag, does not check the return code of a setuid call, which might allow local users to gain root privileges if setuid fails in cases such as PAM failures or resource limits.
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 | shadow | 1:4.0.14-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | shadow | 1:4.0.14-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | shadow | 1:4.0.14-1 | — |
| Debian 3.1 | shadow | 1:4.0.3-31sarge8 | DSA-1150-1 |
Advisories 1
- DSA-1150-1 shadow - programming error Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026