GNU InetUtils Argument Injection Vulnerability
telnetd in GNU Inetutils through 2.7 allows remote authentication bypass via a "-f root" value for the USER environment variable.
Severity = CVSS. Probability = EPSS (FIRST). Exploitation = public signals: KEV, EUVD, ransomware, EPSS above 10 %, no account required.
Exploitation probability EPSS · FIRST
Exploitation signals 4 / 5
- KEV catalog (CISA)26 Jan 2026
- Exploited in EUVD (ENISA)26 Jan 2026
- Used by ransomwareno
- EPSS above 10 %99.0%
- No account, over the networkyes
What to do
Fix
Apply the vendor’s fix as soon as it is available.
CISA guidance: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Meanwhile
Take the service off the internet or restrict access to it, watch the logs and look for signs of compromise.
Manufacturers (CRA)
Exploited vulnerability in your product: early warning to ENISA within 24 h, then notification within 72 h (Article 14 of the Cyber Resilience Act). The CRA explained
Affected products
- 1.9.3 ≤2.7
Open source packages OSV
Affected libraries according to OSV, with fixed versions.
Timeline
-
Published
-
Exploitation reported (ENISA)
-
Added to the KEV catalog
-
CISA remediation due date
-
EPSS peak: 99.0%
References
Other exploited vulnerabilities from the same vendor
- CVE-2014-6278GNU Bash OS Command Injection Vulnerability8.9 · Background exploitation
- CVE-2023-4911GNU C Library Buffer Overflow Vulnerability6.8 · Background exploitation
- CVE-2014-7169GNU Bourne-Again Shell (Bash) Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability9.3 · Background exploitation
- CVE-2014-6271GNU Bourne-Again Shell (Bash) Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability9.3 · Background exploitation