How severe is CVE-2017-20002?

CVE-2017-20002 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-2017-20002 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (32nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-20002?

CVE-2017-20002 primarily affects Debian Shadow. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-20002?

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-2017-20002 published?

CVE-2017-20002 was published on 2021-03-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-20002

CVE-2017-20002 is a high-severity vulnerability in Debian Shadow 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-269.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 4.6
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (32nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-269
Affected product: Debian Shadow
Published: 2021-03-17
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The Debian shadow package before 1:4.5-1 for Shadow incorrectly lists pts/0 and pts/1 as physical terminals in /etc/securetty. This allows local users to login as password-less users even if they are connected by non-physical means such as SSH (hence bypassing PAM's nullok_secure configuration). This notably affects environments such as virtual machines automatically generated with a default blank root password, allowing all local users to escalate privileges.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-20002?: The Debian shadow package before 1:4.5-1 for Shadow incorrectly lists pts/0 and pts/1 as physical terminals in /etc/securetty. This allows local users to login as password-less users even if they are connected by non-physical means such as SSH (hence bypassing PAM's nullok_secure configuration). This notably affects environments such as virtual machines automatically generated with a default blank root password, allowing all local users to escalate privileges.
How severe is CVE-2017-20002?: CVE-2017-20002 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-2017-20002 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (32nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-20002?: CVE-2017-20002 primarily affects Debian Shadow. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-20002?: 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-2017-20002 published?: CVE-2017-20002 was published on 2021-03-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:debian:shadow:4.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Debian Shadow

CVE-2005-4890 — High (CVSS 7.8): 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…
CVE-2008-5394 — High (CVSS 7.2): /bin/login in shadow 4.0.18.1 in Debian GNU/Linux, and probably other Linux distributions, allows local users in the…
CVE-2011-0721 — Medium (CVSS 6.4): Multiple CRLF injection vulnerabilities in (1) chfn and (2) chsh in shadow 1:4.1.4 allow local users to add new users…
CVE-2013-4235 — Medium (CVSS 4.7): shadow: TOCTOU (time-of-check time-of-use) race condition when copying and removing directory trees
CVE-2004-1001 — Medium (CVSS 4.6): Unknown vulnerability in the passwd_check function in Shadow 4.0.4.1, and possibly other versions before 4.0.5, allows…
CVE-2006-1174 — Low (CVSS 3.7): useradd in shadow-utils before 4.0.3, and possibly other versions before 4.0.8, does not provide a required argument to…

All CVEs affecting Debian Shadow →

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