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CVE-2022-31256· NVD / CVE Program· CNA suse

sendmail: mail to root privilege escalation via sm-client.pre script

A Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') vulnerability in a script called by the sendmail systemd service of openSUSE Factory allows local attackers to escalate from user mail to root. This issue affects: SUSE openSUSE Factory sendmail versions prior to 8.17.1-1.1.

HighCVSS 7.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Oct 26, 2022
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 13th percentile
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Report tools

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Action score

31

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
7.8
CNA · suse
7.7
0.1 point gap

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

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Affected systems

VendorProduct
opensusefactory

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • opensuse factorybefore 8.17.1-1.1

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (suse). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • SUSE openSUSE Factory

    • sendmail and later · before 8.17.1-1.1affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3sendmailbefore 8.15.2-150000.8.9.18.15.2-150000.8.9.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3sendmailbefore 8.15.2-150000.8.9.18.15.2-150000.8.9.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 12sendmailbefore 8.14.9-4.6.18.14.9-4.6.1

Same product

opensuse: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2021-25319virtualbox: missing sticky bit for /etc/vbox allows local root exploit for members of vboxusers group
    31Monitor
  • CVE-2022-31251slurm: %post for slurm-testsuite operates as root in user owned directory
    25Monitor
  • CVE-2021-36781parsec: dangerous 777 permissions for /run/parsec
    17Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
opensuse:sendmail8.15.2-150000.8.9.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.3Package registry (OSV)
suse:sendmail8.14.9-4.6.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 12Package registry (OSV)
suse:sendmail8.15.2-150000.8.9.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

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.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

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 researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

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-59 · Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

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

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records