CVE-2026-28372

What it is

telnetd in GNU inetutils through 2.7 allows privilege escalation that can be exploited by abusing systemd service credentials support added to the login(1) implementation of util-linux in release 2.40. This is related to client control over the CREDENTIALS_DIRECTORY environment variable, and requires an unprivileged local user to create a login.noauth file.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited locally on the machine without logging in. High risk of data exposure, data tampering, service disruption.

Exploit odds

0.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2026-02-27 06:18 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-06-17 10:28 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 0.4% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 7.4 HIGH (CVSS).
• Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published

2026-02-27 06:18 UTC

Last modified

2026-06-17 10:28 UTC

Exploit probability

0.4% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-829

Record status

Modified

Affected

• Gnu Inetutils ≤ 2.7

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 7.4

Attack vector

Local

Complexity

High

Privileges needed

None

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

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-2026-28372.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2026-28372. 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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