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CVE-2015-3246 is an unsafe file-update vulnerability in libuser before package versions 0.56.13-8 and 0.60-7 in their respective release streams, as used by the userhelper program in the usermode package. Direct modification of the system password database can leave it inconsistent if a local user induces an error during the update. The vulnerability is characterized as a race condition and enables denial of service. It can also be combined with CVE-2015-3245 to escalate privileges.
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2 valid exploits after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos (1 hidden).
The repository contains one executable Python 3 proof-of-concept, `CVE-2015-3246.py`, plus a README, license, and gitignore. It is a standalone local Linux privilege-escalation exploit targeting CVE-2015-3246 in libuser's `userhelper` passwd-file handling, not a Metasploit/Nuclei or other framework module. The script defines local system paths, performs prerequisite checking, exposes CLI options for vulnerability checking, retries, verbosity, payload selection, custom injected lines, and cleanup, and avoids execution when already root. Its payload catalog is materially offensive: it can attempt to add UID 0 admin/backdoor accounts, alter the current user's passwd entry toward root privileges, or install a passwordless sudo authorization line. No network command-and-control, reverse shell, remote target, or network scanning is present; the attack is entirely local and centered on `/usr/sbin/userhelper` and local account files. The README is generic and includes donation/reference links plus a separate remote-script curl example, but that external script is not called by the exploit itself.
This repository contains a single Metasploit module: 'libuser_roothelper_priv_esc.rb', which exploits a newline injection vulnerability in libuser/userhelper (CVE-2015-3245, CVE-2015-3246) on Red Hat-based Linux systems (RHEL, Fedora, CentOS). The exploit works by uploading and compiling (or dropping a precompiled) C exploit (roothelper.c) to the target, which creates a new root user in /etc/passwd. The module then uploads and executes a Metasploit payload as root, providing privilege escalation. The exploit requires a valid user password and a writable directory (default: /tmp). The module also attempts to clean up by removing the created user from /etc/passwd after exploitation. The code is written in Ruby and is structured as a standard Metasploit local exploit module, making use of Metasploit's APIs for file operations, payload generation, and session management. The main fingerprintable endpoints are the /etc/passwd and /usr/sbin/userhelper files, and the attack vector is local privilege escalation.
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25 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
A CVSS 5.1 race-condition vulnerability in Red Hat Libuser listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
A Red Hat vulnerability added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
A Red Hat libuser race condition allowing an authenticated local user to corrupt /etc/passwd for denial of service or privilege escalation.
A race-condition vulnerability affecting Red Hat Libuser. The content characterizes it as a legacy local privilege-escalation risk that can elevate a post-compromise foothold on Linux systems.
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