Description
unattended-upgrades before 0.86.1 does not properly authenticate packages when the (1) force-confold or (2) force-confnew dpkg options are enabled in the DPkg::Options::* apt configuration, which allows remote man-in-the-middle attackers to upload and execute arbitrary packages via unspecified vectors.
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 | unattended-upgrades | 0.86.1 | — |
| Debian 13 | unattended-upgrades | 0.86.1 | — |
| Debian 12 | unattended-upgrades | 0.86.1 | — |
| Debian 8 | unattended-upgrades | 0.83.3.2+deb8u1 | DSA-3297-1 |
| Debian 7 | unattended-upgrades | 0.79.5+wheezy2 | DSA-3297-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 6.0 | unattended-upgrades | 0.62.2+squeeze1 | DLA-267-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | unattended-upgrades | 0.82.1ubuntu2.3 | USN-2657-1 |
Advisories 3
- DSA-3297-1 unattended-upgrades - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-267-1 unattended-upgrades - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- USN-2657-1 unattended-upgrades vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026
References
- http://metadata.ftp-master.debian.org/changelogs//main/u/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades_0.86.1_changelog
- 1032738 vdb-entry
- DSA-3297 vendor-advisory
- USN-2657-1 vendor-advisory