Vulnerability Description
In Sudo before 1.9.12p2, the sudoedit (aka -e) feature mishandles extra arguments passed in the user-provided environment variables (SUDO_EDITOR, VISUAL, and EDITOR), allowing a local attacker to append arbitrary entries to the list of files to process. This can lead to privilege escalation. Affected versions are 1.8.0 through 1.9.12.p1. The problem exists because a user-specified editor may contain a "--" argument that defeats a protection mechanism, e.g., an EDITOR='vim -- /path/to/extra/file' value.
CVSS Score
HIGH
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Sudo Project | Sudo | >= 1.8.0, < 1.9.12 |
| Debian | Debian Linux | 10.0 |
| Fedoraproject | Fedora | 36 |
| Apple | Macos | < 13.4 |
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/171644/sudo-1.9.12p1-Privilege-Escalation.hThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172509/Sudoedit-Extra-Arguments-Privilege-EThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174234/Cisco-ThousandEyes-Enterprise-Agent-Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2023/Aug/21Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/01/19/1ExploitMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/01/msg00012.htmlMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproMailing List
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproMailing List
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202305-12Third Party Advisory
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230127-0015/Third Party Advisory
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213758Third Party Advisory
- https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5321Third Party Advisory
- https://www.sudo.ws/security/advisories/sudoedit_any/ExploitMitigationVendor Advisory
- https://www.synacktiv.com/sites/default/files/2023-01/sudo-CVE-2023-22809.pdfExploitMitigationTechnical Description
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/171644/sudo-1.9.12p1-Privilege-Escalation.hThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
FAQ
What is CVE-2023-22809?
CVE-2023-22809 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). In Sudo before 1.9.12p2, the sudoedit (aka -e) feature mishandles extra arguments passed in the user-provided environment variables (SUDO_EDITOR, VISUAL, and EDITOR), allowing a local attacker to appe...
How severe is CVE-2023-22809?
CVE-2023-22809 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.8/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2023-22809?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Sudo Project Sudo, Debian Debian Linux, Fedoraproject Fedora, Apple Macos.