Description
parse.c in sudo 1.6.9p17 through 1.6.9p19 does not properly interpret a system group (aka %group) in the sudoers file during authorization decisions for a user who belongs to that group, which allows local users to leverage an applicable sudoers file and gain root privileges via a sudo command.
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 | sudo | 1.6.9p17-2 | — |
| Debian 13 | sudo | 1.6.9p17-2 | — |
| Debian 12 | sudo | 1.6.9p17-2 | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 5 | sudo | 1.6.9p17-3.el5_3.1 | RHSA-2009:0267 |
Advisories 1
- RHSA-2009:0267 Red Hat Security Advisory: sudo security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
References
- 33885 third-party-advisory
- 51736 vdb-entry
- http://www.sudo.ws/cgi-bin/cvsweb/sudo/parse.c.diff?r1=1.160.2.21&r2=1.160.2.22&f=h
- 35766 third-party-advisory
- 1021688 vdb-entry
- 33517 vdb-entry
- https://issues.rpath.com/browse/RPL-2954
- MDVSA-2009:033 vendor-advisory
- ADV-2009-1865 vdb-entry
- 33753 third-party-advisory
- RHSA-2009:0267 vendor-advisory
- [Security-announce] 20090710 VMSA-2009-0009 ESX Service Console updates for udev, sudo, and curl mailing-list
- 20090129 rPSA-2009-0021-1 sudo mailing-list
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:6462 vdb-entry signature
- 33840 third-party-advisory
- http://wiki.rpath.com/Advisories:rPSA-2009-0021
- 20090711 VMSA-2009-0009 ESX Service Console updates for udev, sudo, and curl mailing-list
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:10856 vdb-entry signature
- http://www.gratisoft.us/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=327
- http://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2009-0009.html
- https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=468923