CVE-2015-3246

redhat enterprise linux, opensuse, libuser project libuser

Published 11 Aug 2015 · updated 2 Oct 2026 · Analyzed

7.4 High · CVSS 3.1, CISA ADP

Exploited in the wild

CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 26 Aug 2026, with a remediation deadline of 9 Sept 2026 for US federal agencies.

Required action: Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.

Description

libuser before 0.56.13-8 and 0.60 before 0.60-7, as used in the userhelper program in the usermode package, directly modifies /etc/passwd, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (inconsistent file state) by causing an error during the modification. NOTE: this issue can be combined with CVE-2015-3245 to gain privileges.

References