{"id":"CVE-2023-26604","url":"https://www.cyber-defence.io/tools/cve/CVE-2023-26604","generatedAt":"2026-10-24T02:01:37.961Z","title":"systemd before 247 does not adequately block local privilege escalation for some Sudo configurations, e.g., plausible sudoers files in which the \"systemctl status\" command may be executed.","description":"systemd before 247 does not adequately block local privilege escalation for some Sudo configurations, e.g., plausible sudoers files in which the \"systemctl status\" command may be executed. Specifically, systemd does not set LESSSECURE to 1, and thus other programs may be launched from the less program. This presents a substantial security risk when running systemctl from Sudo, because less executes as root when the terminal size is too small to show the complete systemctl output.","published":"2023-03-03T16:15:11.000Z","lastModified":"2026-10-14T23:17:15.000Z","status":"Modified","sourceIdentifier":"cve@mitre.org","cvss":{"version":"3.1","score":7.8,"severity":"HIGH","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"},"cwe":["CWE-269"],"affected":["debian/debian linux","systemd project/systemd"],"epss":{"score":0.01051,"percentile":0.63989,"date":"2026-10-22","history":[]},"kev":{"listed":false},"exploits":{"count":0,"verified":false,"firstPublished":null,"source":"Exploit-DB (https://gitlab.com/exploit-database/exploitdb)","entries":[]},"verdict":{"level":"high","text":"High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (1.05%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit."},"changes":[],"references":[{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174130/systemd-246-Local-Root-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory"],"source":"cve@mitre.org"},{"url":"https://blog.compass-security.com/2012/10/dangerous-sudoers-entries-part-2-insecure-functionality/","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory"],"source":"cve@mitre.org"},{"url":"https://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/main/NEWS#L4335-L4340","tags":["Release Notes"],"source":"cve@mitre.org"},{"url":"https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/03/msg00032.html","tags":["Mailing List","Third Party Advisory"],"source":"cve@mitre.org"},{"url":"https://medium.com/%40zenmoviefornotification/saidov-maxim-cve-2023-26604-c1232a526ba7","tags":["Third Party Advisory"],"source":"cve@mitre.org"},{"url":"https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230505-0009/","tags":["Third Party Advisory"],"source":"cve@mitre.org"},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174130/systemd-246-Local-Root-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory"],"source":"af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"},{"url":"https://blog.compass-security.com/2012/10/dangerous-sudoers-entries-part-2-insecure-functionality/","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory"],"source":"af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"},{"url":"https://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/main/NEWS#L4335-L4340","tags":["Release Notes"],"source":"af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"},{"url":"https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/03/msg00032.html","tags":["Mailing List","Third Party Advisory"],"source":"af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"},{"url":"https://medium.com/%40zenmoviefornotification/saidov-maxim-cve-2023-26604-c1232a526ba7","tags":["Third Party Advisory"],"source":"af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"},{"url":"https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230505-0009/","tags":["Third Party Advisory"],"source":"af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"},{"url":"https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html","source":"0b142b55-0307-4c5a-b3c9-f314f3fb7c5e"}],"sources":{"nvd":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-26604","epss":"https://www.first.org/epss/","kev":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","exploitdb":"https://www.exploit-db.com/"},"licence":"CC BY 4.0 — link back to the CVE Explorer if you publish the results; upstream data remains subject to its own terms."}