Description
Simple Desktop Display Manager (SDDM) before 0.10.0 allows local users to gain root privileges because code running as root performs write operations within a user home directory, and this user may have created links in advance (exploitation requires the user to win a race condition in the ~/.Xauthority chown case, but not other cases).
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 | sddm | 0.11.0-2 | — |
| Debian 13 | sddm | 0.11.0-2 | — |
| Debian 12 | sddm | 0.11.0-2 | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | sddm | 0.14.0-2.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10135-1 |
Advisories 1
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10135-1 sddm-0.14.0-2.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- https://github.com/sddm/sddm/pull/280
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1149610
- FEDORA-2014-12442 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2014-12308 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20141006 Re: various sddm vulnerabilities mailing-list