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[ CVE-2015-3246 · Published 11 Aug 2015 ]

Red Hat Libuser Race Condition Vulnerability

Exploited · CISA KEV CVSS 7.4 EPSS 9%No fix listed yet

[ Why it matters ]Priority signals

  • Exploited in the wild: on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list since 2026-08-26

[ Description ]Official description

libuser before 0.56.13-8 and 0.60 before 0.60-7, as used in the userhelper program in the usermode package, directly modifies /etc/passwd, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (inconsistent file state) by causing an error during the modification. NOTE: this issue can be combined with CVE-2015-3245 to gain privileges.

CISA: Red Hat libuser contains a race condition vulnerability that allows authenticated local users to corrupt the /etc/passwd file to cause a denial of service or privilege escalation.

[ Fixes ]Fixes and patches

CISA required action (US federal deadline 9 Sep 2026): Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.

No fix or interim patch is linked from our sources yet. Check the vendor references below and limit exposure of affected systems until a fix is available.

[ References ]References