Description
There is no input validation on the Locale property in an apt transaction. An unprivileged user can supply a full path to a writable directory, which lets aptd read a file as root. Having a symlink in place results in an error message if the file exists, and no error otherwise. This way an unprivileged user can check for the existence of any files on the system as root.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canonical | aptdaemon | unspecified – < 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu32.2, unspecified – < 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu19.4, unspecified – < 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu14.4 | 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu32.2 |
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.
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | aptdaemon | 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu32.2 | USN-4537-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | aptdaemon | 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu19.4 | USN-4537-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | aptdaemon | 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu14.4 | USN-4537-1 |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | aptdaemon | < 1.1.1 | 1.1.1 | GHSA-wpmr-q825-x4c6 |
Advisories 1
- USN-4537-1 aptdaemon vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026