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Debian Linux CVE-2026-24061

CRITICAL
Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection') (CWE-88)
2026-01-21 cve@mitre.org
Authentication Bypass Debian Linux Inetutils Suse
9.8
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY
9.8 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
SUSE
CRITICAL
qualitative

Primary rating from NVD.

CVSS VectorNVD

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

5
Analysis Generated
Mar 12, 2026 - 21:54 vuln.today
Added to CISA KEV
Feb 11, 2026 - 15:40 cisa
CISA KEV
PoC Detected
Feb 11, 2026 - 15:40 vuln.today
Public exploit code
Patch released
Feb 11, 2026 - 15:40 nvd
Patch available
CVE Published
Jan 21, 2026 - 07:16 nvd
CRITICAL 9.8

DescriptionCVE.org

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

AnalysisAI

GNU Inetutils telnetd through version 2.7 contains a critical authentication bypass that allows remote attackers to gain root access by setting the USER environment variable to '-f root' during TELNET negotiation. With EPSS 75% and KEV listing, this trivially exploitable vulnerability (CVE-2026-24061) has been widely weaponized. Public PoC is available and patches exist.

Technical ContextAI

During TELNET NEW-ENVIRON option negotiation, the client can set environment variables that are passed to the login process. By setting USER to '-f root', the attacker exploits the fact that telnetd passes this value to login(1), where the '-f' flag means 'skip authentication for the specified user'. This is an argument injection attack — the USER value is interpreted as a command-line flag rather than a username. The vulnerability is trivial to exploit and requires no special tools.

RemediationAI

Upgrade GNU Inetutils to patched version immediately. Better yet: disable telnetd entirely and use SSH instead. If telnet must remain, restrict access via firewall to trusted networks only. Audit systems for unauthorized access that may have occurred before patching.

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Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Critical
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 Fixed

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CVE-2026-24061 vulnerability details – vuln.today
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