Local root command execution via spool header injection
Published May 6, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024
Local privilege escalation in Exim before 4.94.2 allows local users to execute arbitrary commands as root through a crafted recipient address. Exim writes an unescaped newline-bearing recipient into the spool header, where spool_read_header accepts an injected negative length that moves the allocator backward and lets a fake header overwrite configuration strings. Any unprivileged local account can invoke the set-user-ID Exim binary; with deliver_drop_privilege disabled by default, later delivery expands the overwritten command string as root.
Summary
What happened
Local privilege escalation in Exim before 4.94.2 allows local users to execute arbitrary commands as root through a crafted recipient address. Exim writes an unescaped newline-bearing recipient into the spool header, where spool_read_header accepts an injected negative length that moves the allocator backward and lets a fake header overwrite configuration strings. Any unprivileged local account can invoke the set-user-ID Exim binary; with deliver_drop_privilege disabled by default, later delivery expands the overwritten command string as root.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2020-28015
- Published
- May 6, 2021
- Updated
- Aug 4, 2024
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 6, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Qualys 21Nails CVE-2020-28015 local root demonstrationfunctional · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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