How severe is CVE-2005-4890?

CVE-2005-4890 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2005-4890 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (46th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2005-4890?

CVE-2005-4890 primarily affects Redhat Enterprise Linux. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2005-4890?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2005-4890 published?

CVE-2005-4890 was published on 2019-11-04 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2005-4890

CVE-2005-4890 is a high-severity vulnerability in Redhat Enterprise Linux with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-20.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 7.2
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (46th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-20
Affected product: Redhat Enterprise Linux
Published: 2019-11-04
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

There is a possible tty hijacking in shadow 4.x before 4.1.5 and sudo 1.x before 1.7.4 via "su - user -c program". The user session can be escaped to the parent session by using the TIOCSTI ioctl to push characters into the input buffer to be read by the next process.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2005-4890?: There is a possible tty hijacking in shadow 4.x before 4.1.5 and sudo 1.x before 1.7.4 via "su - user -c program". The user session can be escaped to the parent session by using the TIOCSTI ioctl to push characters into the input buffer to be read by the next process.
How severe is CVE-2005-4890?: CVE-2005-4890 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2005-4890 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (46th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2005-4890?: CVE-2005-4890 primarily affects Redhat Enterprise Linux. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2005-4890?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2005-4890 published?: CVE-2005-4890 was published on 2019-11-04 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (8)

cpe:2.3:a:debian:shadow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sudo_project:sudo:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Redhat Enterprise Linux

CVE-2015-0240 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Netlogon server implementation in smbd in Samba 3.5.x and 3.6.x before 3.6.25, 4.0.x before 4.0.25, 4.1.x before…
CVE-2015-0408 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Java SE 5.0u75, 6u85, 7u72, and 8u25 allows remote attackers to affect…
CVE-2014-6601 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Java SE 6u85, 7u72, and 8u25 allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality,…
CVE-2009-0846 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The asn1_decode_generaltime function in lib/krb5/asn.1/asn1_decode.c in the ASN.1 GeneralizedTime decoder in MIT…
CVE-2007-1007 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Format string vulnerability in GnomeMeeting 1.0.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service…
CVE-2006-6235 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A "stack overwrite" vulnerability in GnuPG (gpg) 1.x before 1.4.6, 2.x before 2.0.2, and 1.9.0 through 1.9.95 allows…

All CVEs affecting Redhat Enterprise Linux →

Other CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-48316 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48281 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48277 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48055 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Streambert is a cross-platform Electron Desktop App to stream and download any video media. In versions 2.4.0 and…
CVE-2026-34910 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A malicious actor with access to the network could exploit an Improper Input Validation vulnerability found in UniFi OS…
CVE-2026-33587 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Lack of user input sanitisation in Open Notebook v1.8.3 allows the application user to execute Python code (and…

Browse all CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities →