Description
A feature in LXD (LP#1829071), affects the default configuration of Ubuntu Server which allows privileged users in the lxd group to escalate their privilege to root without requiring a sudo password.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canonical | Ubuntu Server | — | — |
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 22.04 LTS | subiquity +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | subiquity | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | subiquity | No fix yet | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | cloud-init | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | cloud-init | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | cloud-init | No fix yet | — |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
GitHub 1 repository
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karthikparambil/lxd2root ★ 3 · Nov 7, 2025
Privilege Escalation Exploit CVE-2023-5536
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
References
- https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/easy-multi-user-lxd-setup/26215/4 mitigation
- https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2023-5536 issue-tracking
- https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lxd/+bug/1829071 issue-tracking
- https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-5536 issue-tracking