How severe is CVE-2017-14609?

CVE-2017-14609 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-2017-14609 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-2017-14609?

CVE-2017-14609 affects Kannel. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-14609?

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-2017-14609 published?

CVE-2017-14609 was published on 2017-09-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-14609

CVE-2017-14609 is a high-severity vulnerability in Kannel 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-665.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 4.6
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (33rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-665
Affected product: Kannel
Published: 2017-09-20
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The server daemons in Kannel 1.5.0 and earlier create a PID file after dropping privileges to a non-root account, which might allow local users to kill arbitrary processes by leveraging access to this non-root account for PID file modification before a root script executes a "kill `cat /pathname`" command, as demonstrated by bearerbox.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-14609?: The server daemons in Kannel 1.5.0 and earlier create a PID file after dropping privileges to a non-root account, which might allow local users to kill arbitrary processes by leveraging access to this non-root account for PID file modification before a root script executes a "kill `cat /pathname`" command, as demonstrated by bearerbox.
How severe is CVE-2017-14609?: CVE-2017-14609 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-2017-14609 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-2017-14609?: CVE-2017-14609 affects Kannel. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-14609?: 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-2017-14609 published?: CVE-2017-14609 was published on 2017-09-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://redmine.kannel.org/issues/771

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:kannel:kannel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Other CWE-665 (Improper Initialization) vulnerabilities

CVE-2021-33635 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): When malicious images are pulled by isula pull, attackers can execute arbitrary code.
CVE-2022-37128 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In D-Link DIR-816 A2_v1.10CNB04.img the network can be initialized without authentication via /goform/wizard_end.
CVE-2021-41264 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): OpenZeppelin Contracts is a library for smart contract development. In affected versions upgradeable contracts using…
CVE-2019-10196 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A flaw was found in http-proxy-agent, prior to version 2.1.0. It was discovered http-proxy-agent passes an auth option…
CVE-2015-8367 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The phase_one_correct function in Libraw before 0.17.1 allows attackers to cause memory errors and possibly execute…
CVE-2019-14271 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In Docker 19.03.x before 19.03.1 linked against the GNU C Library (aka glibc), code injection can occur when the…

Browse all CWE-665 (Improper Initialization) vulnerabilities →