CVE-2026-28372: Gnu Inetutils privilege escalation (CVSS 7.4)

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.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorLocal

Attack complexityHigh

Privileges requiredNone

User interactionNone

ScopeUnchanged

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

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

Affected products

Gnu Inetutils≤ 2.7

Remediation

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

Patch & vendor advisories

https://git.hadrons.org/cgit/debian/pkgs/inetutils.git/commit/?id=3953943d8296310485f98963883a798545ab9a6c

References

https://git.hadrons.org/cgit/debian/pkgs/inetutils.git/commit/?id=3953943d8296310485f98963883a798545ab9a6cPatch
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-inetutils/2026-02/msg00000.htmlExploitMailing ListThird Party Advisory
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-inetutils/2026-02/msg00012.htmlMailing ListThird Party Advisory
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/02/24/1Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/02/27/3Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/06/2
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/06/3
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/07/1
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/03/07/2

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2026-28372 being actively exploited?

CVE-2026-28372 is not in the CISA KEV catalog. A public exploit reference exists, so treat it as exploitable. Its EPSS exploit probability is 0.20%.

How severe is CVE-2026-28372?

CVE-2026-28372 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.4, rated high. EPSS estimates a 0.20% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2026-28372?

Affected products include Gnu Inetutils.

How do I fix CVE-2026-28372?

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-2026-28372 against the real software inventory on every managed device, as each hourly inventory arrives. 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. 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