Description
systemd v233 and earlier fails to safely parse usernames starting with a numeric digit (e.g. "0day"), running the service in question with root privileges rather than the user intended.
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 | systemd | 234-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | systemd | 234-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | systemd | 234-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | systemd | No fix yet | — |
References
- https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/6237
- 1038839 vdb-entry
- 99507 vdb-entry
- [oss-security] 20170702 systemd fails to parse user that should run service mailing-list