CVE-2026-28372
Telnetd in GNU inetutils Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Description
telnetd in GNU inetutils through 2.7 allows privilege escalation that can be exploited by abusing systemd service credentials support added to the login(1) implementation of util-linux in release 2.40. This is related to client control over the CREDENTIALS_DIRECTORY environment variable, and requires an unprivileged local user to create a login.noauth file.
INFO
Published Date :
Feb. 27, 2026, 6:18 a.m.
Last Modified :
Feb. 27, 2026, 2:06 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 8254265b-2729-46b6-b9e3-3dfca2d5bfca | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | MITRE-CVE |
Solution
- Update util-linux to version 2.40 or later.
- Restrict unprivileged user access to login service.
- Review systemd service credential configurations.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github
CVE-2026-28372 has a 2 public
PoC/Exploit available at Github.
Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-28372.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-28372 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-28372
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
DSA and DLA for Debian last 14 days
Python
Community reconstruction of the legacy JSON NVD Data Feeds. This project uses and redistributes data from the NVD API but is neither endorsed nor certified by the NVD.
Shell
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-28372 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-28372 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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New CVE Received by [email protected]
Feb. 27, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description telnetd in GNU inetutils through 2.7 allows privilege escalation that can be exploited by abusing systemd service credentials support added to the login(1) implementation of util-linux in release 2.40. This is related to client control over the CREDENTIALS_DIRECTORY environment variable, and requires an unprivileged local user to create a login.noauth file. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-829 Added Reference https://git.hadrons.org/cgit/debian/pkgs/inetutils.git/commit/?id=3953943d8296310485f98963883a798545ab9a6c Added Reference https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-inetutils/2026-02/msg00000.html Added Reference https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-inetutils/2026-02/msg00012.html Added Reference https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/02/24/1