Skip to content
Noroxi
CVE-2024-48990· NVD / CVE Program· CNA canonical

Qualys discovered that needrestart, before version 3.8, allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code as root by tricking needrestart int

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Plan (action score 40/100)

  • A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
  • Because a ready-made attack tool exists, priority is at least “Plan”.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 21.2% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 97.5% of all records.
  • 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.
  • Fixed version: needrestart needrestart 3.8.

Add it to your regular patch cycle. Upgrade to needrestart needrestart 3.8 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

Qualys discovered that needrestart, before version 3.8, allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code as root by tricking needrestart into running the Python interpreter with an attacker-controlled PYTHONPATH environment variable.

HighCVSS 7.8 · v3.1—Weaponized Fix available
Published
Nov 19, 2024
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
21.2% · 97th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

40

Plan

Add it to your regular patch cycle.

CVSS
31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
6 / 30 · 21.2%
Ready-made attack tool
3 / 40 · floor: at least 40

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · canonical
7.8
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

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

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • Weaponized exploit exists
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2024-48990

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits instantly.

Your free account also gets you

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

  • Stack alerts: add the products and versions you run, get the new CVEs that affect them
  • Uptime monitoring: 1 site, instant email when it goes down
  • Add your domain: subdomains and takeover risk scanned every week (1 domain)
  • 10 scans an hour on the security tools (3 a day without an account), an API key and MCP
  • All your scans in one panel: findings, what changed in the last scan, a report per domain or per client (PDF, share link)
All free tools

Sign up with email · Have an account? Sign in

Free account, no card. Unfollow any time.

Don't want an account? Get "Exploited this week" by email every MondayDon't want an account? RSS feed for needrestart project records

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

Is your version affected? Check it

Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

We use this product, ask for help

Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
needrestart projectneedrestart

Affected versions

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

  • needrestart project needrestartbefore 3.8

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.

  • needrestart needrestart

    • before 3.8affected · semver

Package-level exposure

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

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:11needrestartbefore 3.5-4+deb11u43.5-4+deb11u4
Debian:12needrestartbefore 3.6-4+deb12u23.6-4+deb12u2
Debian:13needrestartbefore 3.7-3.13.7-3.1

Same product

needrestart project: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2024-11003Qualys discovered that needrestart, before version 3.8, passes unsanitized data to a library (Modules::ScanDeps) which expects safe input.
    35Monitor
  • CVE-2024-48992Qualys discovered that needrestart, before version 3.8, allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code as root by tricking needrestart int
    33Monitor
  • CVE-2024-48991Qualys discovered that needrestart, before version 3.8, allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code as root by winning a race condition
    33Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-30688May 17, 2022 · needrestart 0.8 through 3.5 before 3.6 is prone to local privilege escalation.
    31Monitor

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
needrestart needrestart3.8Vendor (CNA)
debian:needrestart3.6-4+deb12u2 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

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
  • Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×18

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.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Metasploit moduleexploit/linux/local/ubuntu_needrestart_lpeUbuntu needrestart Privilege Escalationexploit2024-11-19
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:1052024-11-20
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:52024-11-21
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:02024-11-22
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:22024-11-24
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:262024-11-24
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:52024-11-25
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:02024-12-09
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:12024-12-18
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:52025-02-16
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:92025-10-28
Proof-of-concept repository on GitHubstars:02025-10-28

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.

  1. Metasploit-1 d
  2. Published
  3. First PoCsame day
  4. TodayOct 23, 2026+702 d
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.

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.

  • CVE-2024-489920 days apartQualys discovered that needrestart, before version 3.8, allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code as root by tricking needrestart int
    33Monitor

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-427 · Uncontrolled Search Path Element

CVSS vector

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

nvd-secondary

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

Show all references (5 more)

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

All records