Cross-user command injection via world-writable PTYs
Published May 26, 2025 · Updated May 27, 2025
Incorrect PTY permissions in GNU Screen 5.0.0 allow local users to inject terminal input into another user's Screen session. The configure.ac default sets newly allocated PTYs to mode 0622 instead of 0620, granting every local account write access to the terminal device. Exploitation requires another local user to run a default-built affected session; injected input can execute commands when its shell accepts it.
Summary
What happened
Incorrect PTY permissions in GNU Screen 5.0.0 allow local users to inject terminal input into another user's Screen session. The configure.ac default sets newly allocated PTYs to mode 0622 instead of 0620, granting every local account write access to the terminal device. Exploitation requires another local user to run a default-built affected session; injected input can execute commands when its shell accepts it.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-46803
- Published
- May 26, 2025
- Updated
- May 27, 2025
- Vendor
- The GnuPG Project
- Product
- GNU Screen
- Classifications
- CWE-276, T1059.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 26, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 27, 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=5.0 <=5.0.0
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.
Public exploit references
- World-writable Screen PTY proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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