Description
Screen 5.0.0 when it runs with setuid-root privileges does not drop privileges while operating on a user supplied path. This allows unprivileged users to create files in arbitrary locations with `root` ownership, the invoking user's (real) group ownership and file mode 0644. All data written to the Screen PTY will be logged into this file, allowing to escalate to root privileges
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | screen | 5.0 – ≤ 5.0.0 | — |
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.
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | screen | 5.0.2-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:12373-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | screen | 5.0.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | screen | 5.0.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | screen | 5.0.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | screen | 5.0.1-r0 | — |
Advisories 2
- openSUSE-SU-2026:12373-1 screen-5.0.2-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Oct 31, 2026
- WID-SEC-2025-1034 screen: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Aug 26, 2026