Local privilege escalation via passwordless cluster account
Published Jun 28, 2024 · Updated Nov 3, 2025
Local privilege escalation in IBM Security Verify Access Docker 10.0.0.0 through 10.0.7.1 allows local users to gain cluster account privileges. The verify-access image leaves the cluster password field empty in /etc/shadow, while /etc/passwd assigns /usr/sbin/wga_clustersh as the account shell. Exploitation requires local access to an instance with an SSH server installed and grants the permissions assigned to the cluster account.
Summary
What happened
Local privilege escalation in IBM Security Verify Access Docker 10.0.0.0 through 10.0.7.1 allows local users to gain cluster account privileges. The verify-access image leaves the cluster password field empty in /etc/shadow, while /etc/passwd assigns /usr/sbin/wga_clustersh as the account shell. Exploitation requires local access to an instance with an SSH server installed and grants the permissions assigned to the cluster account.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-35137
- Published
- Jun 28, 2024
- Updated
- Nov 3, 2025
- Vendor
- IBM
- Product
- IBM Security Verify Access Docker
- Classifications
- CWE-258, CWE-521, T1078
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 28, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 3, 2025Record 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.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.0.0 <=10.0.7.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Passwordless cluster account demonstrationfunctional · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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