How severe is CVE-2014-7272?

CVE-2014-7272 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-2014-7272 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (33rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2014-7272?

CVE-2014-7272 primarily affects Sddm Project Sddm. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2014-7272?

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-2014-7272 published?

CVE-2014-7272 was published on 2018-03-08 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2014-7272

CVE-2014-7272 is a high-severity vulnerability in Sddm Project Sddm 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-264.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 7.2
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (33rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-264
Affected product: Sddm Project Sddm
Published: 2018-03-08
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Simple Desktop Display Manager (SDDM) before 0.10.0 allows local users to gain root privileges because code running as root performs write operations within a user home directory, and this user may have created links in advance (exploitation requires the user to win a race condition in the ~/.Xauthority chown case, but not other cases).

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2014-7272?: Simple Desktop Display Manager (SDDM) before 0.10.0 allows local users to gain root privileges because code running as root performs write operations within a user home directory, and this user may have created links in advance (exploitation requires the user to win a race condition in the ~/.Xauthority chown case, but not other cases).
How severe is CVE-2014-7272?: CVE-2014-7272 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-2014-7272 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (33rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2014-7272?: CVE-2014-7272 primarily affects Sddm Project Sddm. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2014-7272?: 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-2014-7272 published?: CVE-2014-7272 was published on 2018-03-08 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

cpe:2.3:a:sddm_project:sddm:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:20:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:21:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Sddm Project Sddm

CVE-2014-7271 — High (CVSS 7.8): Simple Desktop Display Manager (SDDM) before 0.10.0 allows local users to log in as user "sddm" without authentication.
CVE-2018-14345 — High (CVSS 7.5): An issue was discovered in SDDM through 0.17.0. If configured with ReuseSession=true, the password is not checked for…
CVE-2020-28049 — Medium (CVSS 6.3): An issue was discovered in SDDM before 0.19.0. It incorrectly starts the X server in a way that - for a short time…
CVE-2015-0856 — Medium (CVSS 4.6): daemon/Greeter.cpp in sddm before 0.13.0 does not properly disable the KDE crash handler, which allows local users to…

All CVEs affecting Sddm Project Sddm →

Other CWE-264 (Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2016-7457 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): VMware vRealize Operations (aka vROps) 6.x before 6.4.0 allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges, or halt…
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CVE-2015-7919 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SearchBlox 8.3 before 8.3.1 allows remote attackers to write to the config file, and consequently cause a denial of…
CVE-2015-7071 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The File Bookmark component in Apple OS X before 10.11.2 allows attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism for…

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