Description
NetworkManager-l2tp through 1.52.4, fixed in 1.52.6, contains a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows local users with permission to create VPN connections to execute arbitrary code as root by injecting pppd options through a crafted VPN username. Attackers can embed a double-quote character or whitespace in the username to break out of the pppd options file quoting context and include the pppd plugin directive, causing the privileged pppd process to load an attacker-controlled shared object.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| nm-l2tp | NetworkManager-l2tp | ≤ 1.52.4 | 1.52.6 |
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 | network-manager-l2tp | 1.52.6-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | network-manager-l2tp | 1.20.20-2+deb13u1 | — |
| Debian 12 | network-manager-l2tp | 1.20.8-1+deb12u1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | network-manager-l2tp | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | network-manager-l2tp | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | network-manager-l2tp | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | network-manager-l2tp | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | network-manager-l2tp | No fix yet | — |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | network-manager-l2tp | No fix yet | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | NetworkManager-l2tp | 1.52.6-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:11802-1 |
Advisories 1
- openSUSE-SU-2026:11802-1 NetworkManager-applet-l2tp-1.52.6-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 18, 2026
References
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-v2wj-xr2m-xc4j) vendor-advisory
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/networkmanager-l2tp-privilege-escalation-via-pppd-username-injection third-party-advisory