Local process termination via cgroup path traversal
Published Aug 10, 2026 · Updated Aug 10, 2026
Path traversal in systemd-oomd allows local users to terminate arbitrary local processes through the managed-OOM Varlink API. ReportManagedOOMCGroups authorizes the textual user-slice component before cg_get_path simplifies the untrusted path, allowing traversal from cgroupfs into fake control files whose cgroup.procs value selects a PID for SIGKILL. Exploitation requires a local account, a running systemd-oomd service, access to its managed-OOM socket, a writable directory visible to the service, and knowledge of the target PID; privilege escalation was not demonstrated.
Summary
What happened
Path traversal in systemd-oomd allows local users to terminate arbitrary local processes through the managed-OOM Varlink API. ReportManagedOOMCGroups authorizes the textual user-slice component before cg_get_path simplifies the untrusted path, allowing traversal from cgroupfs into fake control files whose cgroup.procs value selects a PID for SIGKILL. Exploitation requires a local account, a running systemd-oomd service, access to its managed-OOM socket, a writable directory visible to the service, and knowledge of the target PID; privilege escalation was not demonstrated.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-15059
- Published
- Aug 10, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 10, 2026
- Vendor
- systemd
- Product
- systemd-oomd
- Classifications
- CWE-22, CWE-59, T1489
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 10, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 10, 2026Record 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=250 <261, 260.3, 259.7, 258.9
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
- GHSA-652q-wxr6-h5j6 end-to-end reproducerfunctional · validated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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