Loading vulnerability…
CVE-2020-16126 is an Ubuntu-specific privilege-dropping flaw in AccountsService before version 0.6.55-0ubuntu13.2 and other earlier Ubuntu versions. The modified service improperly drops its real user ID (ruid), allowing untrusted users to signal the AccountsService process. Such signals can prevent the service from handling D-Bus messages promptly, causing a denial of service.
Mallory correlates every CVE against your assets, your vendors, and active adversary campaigns. Know which vulnerabilities matter for you, not just which ones are loud.
What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.
What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.
If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.
Patch, then assume compromise.
1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos.
This repository contains a Bash script exploit targeting CVE-2020-16126 and CVE-2020-16127, which are privilege escalation vulnerabilities in Ubuntu's accountsservice when running under the GNOME desktop environment. The exploit works by manipulating the ~/.pam_environment file (backing it up, replacing it with a symlink to /dev/zero), sending a crafted D-Bus message to org.freedesktop.Accounts to set the user language, and then manipulating the accounts-daemon process via signals. The script is intended for local execution on a vulnerable Ubuntu system and does not require network access. The repository includes a README with usage instructions and affected versions, a LICENSE file, and the main exploit script. The exploit is a proof-of-concept and demonstrates the vulnerability but does not include a weaponized or highly automated payload.
Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.
Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.
No public activity tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.
No public activity observed for this vulnerability.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.