CVE-2026-24061

GNU InetUtils Argument Injection

9.8 CRITICALActively exploited (CISA KEV)Public exploitEPSS 99.0%

Published21 Jan 2026
Added to CISA KEV26 Jan 2026
Remediation due16 Feb 2026

Description

telnetd in GNU Inetutils through 2.7 allows remote authentication bypass via a "-f root" value for the USER environment variable.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork

Attack complexityLow

Privileges requiredNone

User interactionNone

ScopeUnchanged

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

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

Affected products

Gnu Inetutils≥ 1.9.3 ≤ 2.7

Debian Linux11.0

Remediation

No fixed version is recorded in the NVD data. Check the vendor advisory for the latest guidance.

Patch & vendor advisories

References

https://codeberg.org/inetutils/inetutils/commit/ccba9f748aa8d50a38d7748e2e60362edd6a32ccPatch
https://codeberg.org/inetutils/inetutils/commit/fd702c02497b2f398e739e3119bed0b23dd7aa7bPatch
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2026/01/msg00025.htmlMailing ListThird Party Advisory
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-inetutils/2026-01/msg00004.htmlMitigationVendor Advisory
https://redteam.ae/blog/cve-2026-24061-inetutils-telnetd-root-bypassExploitThird Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-24061US Government Resource
https://www.gnu.org/software/inetutils/Product
https://www.labs.greynoise.io/grimoire/2026-01-22-f-around-and-find-out-18-hours-of-unsolicited-houseguests/index.htmlExploitThird Party Advisory
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/01/20/2Mailing List
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/01/20/2#:~:[email protected]%3A~%20USER='Mailing ListThird Party Advisory

and 4 more references

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2026-24061 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2026-24061 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 26 Jan 2026.

How severe is CVE-2026-24061?

CVE-2026-24061 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated critical. EPSS estimates a 99.0% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2026-24061?

Affected products include Gnu Inetutils, Debian Linux.

How do I fix CVE-2026-24061?

Apply the vendor's patch or advisory guidance, then verify no affected versions remain across your devices.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2026-24061 against the real software inventory on every managed device, every day. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. Because it is on the CISA KEV list, Secuno flags any affected asset as top-priority automatically. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

See how prioritisation works Book a demo

Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.