Description
libgio, when used in setuid or other privileged programs in spice-gtk and possibly other products, allows local users to gain privileges and execute arbitrary code via the DBUS_SYSTEM_BUS_ADDRESS environment variable. NOTE: it could be argued that this is a vulnerability in the applications that do not cleanse environment variables, not in libgio itself.
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 | spice-gtk | 0.12-5 | — |
| Debian 13 | spice-gtk | 0.12-5 | — |
| Debian 12 | spice-gtk | 0.12-5 | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | spice-gtk +5 | 0.11-11.el6_3.1 | RHSA-2012:1284 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | spice-gtk | 0.33-2.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10421-1 |
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.
Exploit-DB 1
- libdbus - 'DBUS_SYSTEM_BUS_ADDRESS' Local Privilege Escalation EDB-21323 · local · Jul 17, 2012
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2012:1284 Red Hat Security Advisory: spice-gtk security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10421-1 libspice-client-glib-2_0-8-0.33-2.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- RHSA-2012:1284 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20120912 libdbus CVE-2012-3524 fix mailing-list
- [spice-devel] 20120914 [spice-gtk] usb-acl-helper: Clear environment mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20120917 Re: libdbus CVE-2012-3524 fix mailing-list
- [scm-commits] 20120914 [spice-gtk/f18] Add patch fixing CVE 2012-4425 mailing-list
- 21323 exploit
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=857283
- [oss-security] 20120914 Re: libdbus CVE-2012-3524 fix mailing-list
- 55555 vdb-entry