CVE-2021-23556Public exploit

Arbitrary command execution via exposed D-Bus methods

Published Mar 17, 2022 · Updated Sep 17, 2024

Command injection in Guake before 3.8.5 allows local users to execute arbitrary commands through its D-Bus remote-control interface. The execute_command and execute_command_by_uuid methods accept caller-supplied commands over D-Bus and feed them to a Guake terminal without authorization. Exploitation requires a malicious program in the affected desktop session that can issue D-Bus calls or terminal commands, and code runs with the Guake user's privileges.

CVSS severity6.4
Medium
EPSS probability1.13%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Command injection in Guake before 3.8.5 allows local users to execute arbitrary commands through its D-Bus remote-control interface. The execute_command and execute_command_by_uuid methods accept caller-supplied commands over D-Bus and feed them to a Guake terminal without authorization. Exploitation requires a malicious program in the affected desktop session that can issue D-Bus calls or terminal commands, and code runs with the Guake user's privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-23556
Published
Mar 17, 2022
Updated
Sep 17, 2024
Vendor
Guake Project
Product
Guake
Classifications
T1059
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 17, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 17, 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?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <3.8.5

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Guake Project · Guakeversion=unspecified <3.8.5

Published CVSS scores

6.1GitHubCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
6.0NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P
8.0NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
6.4SnykCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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

T1059Command and Scripting Interpreter

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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