systemd: reexec state injection: fgets() on overlong lines leads to line splitting
A vulnerability in unit_deserialize of systemd allows an attacker to supply arbitrary state across systemd re-execution via NotifyAccess. This can be used to improperly influence systemd execution and possibly lead to root privilege escalation. Affected releases are systemd versions up to and including 239.
- Published
- Oct 26, 2018
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 2.3% · 82th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-502
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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 · 2.3%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 7.8
- CNA · canonical
- 7.0
- 0.8 point gap
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| canonical | ubuntu linux | cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux |
| debian | debian linux | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux |
| systemd project | systemd | cpe:2.3:a:systemd_project:systemd |
| oracle | communications cloud native core network function cloud native environment | cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_network_function_cloud_native_environment |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- canonical ubuntu linux16.04
- canonical ubuntu linux18.04
- canonical ubuntu linux18.10
- debian debian linux8.0
- oracle communications cloud native core network function cloud native environment1.4.0
- systemd project systemdup to 239 inclusive
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (canonical). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
systemd systemd
- unspecified and later · up to and including 239affected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | systemd | before 239-12 | 239-12 |
| Debian:8 | systemd | before 215-17+deb8u8 | 215-17+deb8u8 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | systemd | before 249.4-2.2 | 249.4-2.2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | libgudev1 | before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | libgudev1-devel | before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd | before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-debuginfo | before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-devel | before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-journal-gateway | before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-libs | before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-networkd | before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-python | before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-resolved | before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | systemd-sysv | before 0:219-67.el7 | 0:219-67.el7 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | libgudev1 | before 0:219-42.el7_4.20 | 0:219-42.el7_4.20 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | libgudev1-devel | before 0:219-42.el7_4.20 | 0:219-42.el7_4.20 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | systemd | before 0:219-42.el7_4.20 | 0:219-42.el7_4.20 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | systemd-debuginfo | before 0:219-42.el7_4.20 | 0:219-42.el7_4.20 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | systemd-devel | before 0:219-42.el7_4.20 | 0:219-42.el7_4.20 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | systemd-journal-gateway | before 0:219-42.el7_4.20 | 0:219-42.el7_4.20 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | systemd-libs | before 0:219-42.el7_4.20 | 0:219-42.el7_4.20 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | systemd-networkd | before 0:219-42.el7_4.20 | 0:219-42.el7_4.20 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | systemd-python | before 0:219-42.el7_4.20 | 0:219-42.el7_4.20 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:7.4::server | systemd-resolved | before 0:219-42.el7_4.20 | 0:219-42.el7_4.20 |
+27
Same product
canonical: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
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Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:systemd | 239-12 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:systemd | 249.4-2.2 · openSUSE:Tumbleweed | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:libgudev1 | 0:219-67.el7 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:libgudev1-devel | 0:219-67.el7 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd | 0:219-67.el7 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-debuginfo | 0:219-67.el7 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-devel | 0:219-67.el7 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-journal-gateway | 0:219-67.el7 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-libs | 0:219-67.el7 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-networkd | 0:219-67.el7 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-python | 0:219-67.el7 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-resolved | 0:219-67.el7 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:systemd-sysv | 0:219-67.el7 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:systemd | 234-24.15.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
Proof of concept available
A public proof of concept or detection signature exists. Exploit knowledge is out there; don't delay patching.
Evidence
- Exploit-DB entry ×1
- Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×1
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 | dos | 2018-10-29 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:0 | 2019-10-03 |
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.
- Published
- First PoC+3 d
- TodaySep 30, 2026+2896 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.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
- Jann HornGoogle
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-502 · Deserialization of Untrusted DataCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Root cause
Data received over the network is deserialized into the language’s native object format without verifying its source. Code paths inside the object can be triggered during deserialization.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-502 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
payload = sock.recv(65536)job = pickle.loads(payload)Fixed
payload = sock.recv(65536)if not hmac.compare_digest(sign(payload), header_sig): raise PermissionError("invalid signature")job = JobSchema.validate(json.loads(payload))Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
ATT&CK techniques
—
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; 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 helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/105747
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2091
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3222
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0593
- github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/10519
- lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1b103833cb5bc8466e24ff0ecc5e75b45a705334ab6a444e64e840a0%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/11/msg00017.html
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/201810-10
- usn.ubuntu.com/3816-1/
- www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.