CVE-2023-29383

low-risk
Published 2023-04-14

In Shadow 4.13, it is possible to inject control characters into fields provided to the SUID program chfn (change finger). Although it is not possible to exploit this directly (e.g., adding a new user fails because \n is in the block list), it is possible to misrepresent the /etc/passwd file when viewed. Use of \r manipulations and Unicode characters to work around blocking of the : character make it possible to give the impression that a new user has been added. In other words, an adversary may be able to convince a system administrator to take the system offline (an indirect, social-engineered denial of service) by demonstrating that "cat /etc/passwd" shows a rogue user account.

Do I need to act?

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0.03% chance of exploitation
EPSS score — low exploit probability
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Not on CISA KEV list
No confirmed active exploitation reported to CISA
?
Patch status unknown
Check vendor advisories for fix availability and mitigation guidance
3
CVSS 3.3/10 Low
LOCAL / LOW complexity

Affected Products (1)

Shadow

Affected Vendors

18
/ 100
low-risk
Severity 13/34 · Low
Exploitability 0/34 · Minimal
Exposure 5/34 · Minimal