CVE-2023-46316Public exploit

Local command injection via wrapper argument parsing

Published Oct 24, 2023 · Updated Aug 2, 2024

Command injection in Traceroute for Linux 2.0.12 through 2.1.2 allows local users to execute shell commands via wrapper arguments. The tcptraceroute, tracepath, traceproto, and traceroute-nanog wrappers pass attacker-controlled arguments through getopt without the -- separator and then evaluate the parsed text with eval, causing shell metacharacters to become commands. The injected command runs with the wrapper's privileges; root execution requires an affected wrapper to be authorized and invoked through sudo.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.37%
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 Traceroute for Linux 2.0.12 through 2.1.2 allows local users to execute shell commands via wrapper arguments. The tcptraceroute, tracepath, traceproto, and traceroute-nanog wrappers pass attacker-controlled arguments through getopt without the -- separator and then evaluate the parsed text with eval, causing shell metacharacters to become commands. The injected command runs with the wrapper's privileges; root execution requires an affected wrapper to be authorized and invoked through sudo.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-46316
Published
Oct 24, 2023
Updated
Aug 2, 2024
Vendor
Dmitry Butskoy
Product
Traceroute for Linux
Classifications
CWE-234, T1548.003, T1059.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 24, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 2, 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=2.0.12

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Dmitry Butskoy · Traceroute for Linuxversion=2.0.12

Published CVSS scores

5.5NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
5.5CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
3.3Amazon LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
5.5Oracle LinuxCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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-234Failure to Handle Missing Parameter
T1548.003Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism: Sudo and Sudo Caching
T1059.004Command and Scripting Interpreter: Unix Shell

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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