CVE-2023-22809

7.8 HIGH 55% exploit odds Fix listed Auth & access OS & kernel

What it is

In Sudo before 1.9.12p2, the sudoedit (aka -e) feature mishandles extra arguments passed in the user-provided environment variables (SUDO_EDITOR, VISUAL, and EDITOR), allowing a local attacker to append arbitrary entries to the list of files to process. This can lead to privilege escalation. Affected versions are 1.8.0 through 1.9.12.p1. The problem exists because a user-specified editor may contain a "--" argument that defeats a protection mechanism, e.g., an EDITOR='vim -- /path/to/extra/file' value.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited locally on the machine with a low-privilege account. High risk of data exposure, data tampering, service disruption.
Exploit odds: 55.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS). Higher than most.
Fix: A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

2023-01-18 17:15 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2026-06-17 05:36 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
Exploit odds: 55.4% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 7.8 HIGH (CVSS).
Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published: 2023-01-18 17:15 UTC
Last modified: 2026-06-17 05:36 UTC
Exploit probability: 55.4% · EPSS, next 30 days
Weakness: CWE-269 · Improper privilege management
Record status: Modified

Affected

Sudo Project Sudo < 1.9.12
Sudo Project Sudo 1.9.12
Debian Linux 10.0
Debian Linux 11.0
Fedoraproject Fedora 36
Fedoraproject Fedora 37
Apple macOS < 13.4

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 7.8

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2023-22809.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2023-22809. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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Fix and advisories

References

NVD record · CVE.org record