Description
A flaw was found in the util-linux chfn and chsh utilities when compiled with Readline support. The Readline library uses an "INPUTRC" environment variable to get a path to the library config file. When the library cannot parse the specified file, it prints an error message containing data from the file. This flaw allows an unprivileged user to read root-owned files, potentially leading to privilege escalation. This flaw affects util-linux versions prior to 2.37.4.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | util-linux | util-linux 2.37.4 | — |
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 | util-linux | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 13 | util-linux | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | util-linux | No fix yet | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | util-linux | 2.37.4-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:11915-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
Show 8 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.16 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.15 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.14 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.13 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.12 | util-linux | 2.37.4-r0 | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | uuidd +14 | 2.37.4-1.amzn2023.0.3 | ALAS2023-2023-024 |
| Amazon Linux 2 | uuidd +13 | 2.30.2-2.amzn2.0.10 | ALAS2-2022-1901 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 2 (CBL-Mariner) | util-linux | 2.37.4-1 | — |
Advisories 5
- SSA-398330 SSA-398330: Vulnerabilities in the additional GNU/Linux subsystem of the SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518(F)-4 PN/DP MFP >= V3.1.0 and < V3.1.5 Siemens ProductCERT · Oct 13, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:11915-1 libblkid-devel-2.37.4-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- ICSA-23-348-10 Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500 CISA ICS & IT advisories · Aug 12, 2025
- ALAS2023-2023-024 Moderate: util-linux security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Feb 22, 2023
- ALAS2-2022-1901 Moderate: util-linux security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Dec 6, 2022