CVE-2017-20002Public exploit

Root privilege escalation via pseudo-terminal misclassification

Published Mar 17, 2021 · Updated Aug 5, 2024

Improper privilege management in Debian shadow before 1:4.5-1 allows local users to obtain root access through an SSH session. The package installs /etc/securetty with pts/0 and pts/1 classified as physical terminals, causing PAM's nullok_secure check to trust remote pseudo-terminal logins. Exploitation requires a password-less privileged account and a local login path such as SSH; successful access grants that account's privileges, including root in affected default virtual-machine images.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.40%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper privilege management in Debian shadow before 1:4.5-1 allows local users to obtain root access through an SSH session. The package installs /etc/securetty with pts/0 and pts/1 classified as physical terminals, causing PAM's nullok_secure check to trust remote pseudo-terminal logins. Exploitation requires a password-less privileged account and a local login path such as SSH; successful access grants that account's privileges, including root in affected default virtual-machine images.

The record

CVE
CVE-2017-20002
Published
Mar 17, 2021
Updated
Aug 5, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-269, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 17, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 5, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

4.6NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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