Root privilege escalation via apt-get arguments
Published Aug 18, 2026 · Updated Aug 19, 2026
Argument injection in Debian.sudoers in Linuxfabrik Monitoring Plugins before 5.1.0 allows local users to gain root via apt-get options. The assets/sudoers/Debian.sudoers rule permits /usr/bin/apt-get as root without pinning the required argument list, so the nagios or icinga account can pass APT::Update::Pre-Invoke to run an arbitrary command when apt-get starts. Exposure is limited to hosts that installed the shipped Debian-family sudoers drop-in and where attackers already control the monitoring account, but successful exploitation yields a root shell and full host compromise.
Summary
What happened
Argument injection in Debian.sudoers in Linuxfabrik Monitoring Plugins before 5.1.0 allows local users to gain root via apt-get options. The assets/sudoers/Debian.sudoers rule permits /usr/bin/apt-get as root without pinning the required argument list, so the nagios or icinga account can pass APT::Update::Pre-Invoke to run an arbitrary command when apt-get starts. Exposure is limited to hosts that installed the shipped Debian-family sudoers drop-in and where attackers already control the monitoring account, but successful exploitation yields a root shell and full host compromise.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-52817
- Published
- Aug 18, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 19, 2026
- Vendor
- Linuxfabrik
- Product
- Linuxfabrik Monitoring Plugins
- Classifications
- CWE-88, T1548.003
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 19, 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=< 5.1.0
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- APT::Update::Pre-Invoke root shell PoCproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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