OpenBSD through 6.6 allows local users to escalate to root because a check for LD_LIBRARY_PATH in setuid programs can be defeated by setting
OpenBSD through 6.6 allows local users to escalate to root because a check for LD_LIBRARY_PATH in setuid programs can be defeated by setting a very small RLIMIT_DATA resource limit. When executing chpass or passwd (which are setuid root), _dl_setup_env in ld.so tries to strip LD_LIBRARY_PATH from the environment, but fails when it cannot allocate memory. Thus, the attacker is able to execute their own library code as root.
- Published
- Dec 11, 2019
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 3.5% · 89th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-269
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Report tools
Action score
32
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 3.5%
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| openbsd | openbsd | cpe:2.3:o:openbsd:openbsd |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- openbsd openbsdup to 6.6 inclusive
Same product
openbsd: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2007-5365Stack-based buffer overflow in the cons_options function in options.c in dhcpd in OpenBSD 4.0 through 4.2, and some other dhcpd implementati52Plan
- CVE-2007-1365Buffer overflow in kern/uipc_mbuf2.c in OpenBSD 3.9 and 4.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via fragmented IPv6 packets du45Plan
- CVE-2004-0220isakmpd in OpenBSD 3.4 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via an ISAKMP packet with a malformed Cert Request p41Plan
- CVE-2001-0284Buffer overflow in IPSEC authentication mechanism for OpenBSD 2.8 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service and possi41Plan
- CVE-2000-1010Format string vulnerability in talkd in OpenBSD and possibly other BSD-based OSes allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via 41Plan
- CVE-2020-16088iked in OpenIKED, as used in OpenBSD through 6.7, allows authentication bypass because ca.c has the wrong logic for checking whether a publi40Plan
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
Weaponized
A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.
Evidence
- Metasploit module ×1
- Exploit-DB entry ×3
Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.
| Source | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Exploit-DB entry | local | 2019-12-30 |
| Exploit-DB entry | local | 2019-12-30 |
| Exploit-DB entry | local | 2019-12-16 |
| Metasploit module | exploit/openbsd/local/dynamic_loader_chpass_privescOpenBSD Dynamic Loader chpass Privilege Escalationexploit | 2019-12-11 |
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Metasploit-1 d
- Published
- First PoC+4 d
- TodayOct 7, 2026+2492 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-269 · Improper Privilege ManagementCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Root cause
To simplify setup, a service account is granted broad, cluster-wide permissions. The principle of least privilege is skipped during installation.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-269 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
kind: ClusterRolerules: - apiGroups: ["*"] resources: ["*"] verbs: ["*"]Fixed
kind: Rolemetadata: namespace: lodos-systemrules: - apiGroups: ["apps"] resources: ["deployments"] verbs: ["get", "list", "update"]Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Change log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/155764/OpenBSD-Dynamic-Loader-chpass-Privilege-Escalation.html
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/174986/glibc-ld.so-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2023/Oct/11
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/03/2
- www.openbsd.org/errata66.html
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/12/11/9
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.