How severe is CVE-2026-61897?

CVE-2026-61897 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-2026-61897 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (1st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-61897?

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-2026-61897 published?

CVE-2026-61897 was published on 2026-08-20.

CVE-2026-61897

CVE-2026-61897 is a high-severity vulnerability 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-273.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (1st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-273
Published: 2026-08-20
Last modified: 2026-08-20

Description

An Ubuntu-specific patch to AccountsService before 23.13.9-8ubuntu7 only partially drops privileges before launching language helper scripts. It changes the effective UID/GID to the target user but leaves the real UID as 0 (root). A shell spawned by a helper script inherits ruid=0 and may reset its effective UID to root, enabling local privilege escalation.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-61897?: An Ubuntu-specific patch to AccountsService before 23.13.9-8ubuntu7 only partially drops privileges before launching language helper scripts. It changes the effective UID/GID to the target user but leaves the real UID as 0 (root). A shell spawned by a helper script inherits ruid=0 and may reset its effective UID to root, enabling local privilege escalation.
How severe is CVE-2026-61897?: CVE-2026-61897 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-2026-61897 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (1st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-61897?: 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-2026-61897 published?: CVE-2026-61897 was published on 2026-08-20.

References

Other CWE-273 vulnerabilities

CVE-2015-0278 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): libuv before 0.10.34 does not properly drop group privileges, which allows context-dependent attackers to gain…
CVE-2023-34844 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Play With Docker < 0.0.2 has an insecure CAP_SYS_ADMIN privileged mode causing the docker container to escape.
CVE-2021-36372 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In Apache Ozone versions prior to 1.2.0, Initially generated block tokens are persisted to the metadata database and…
CVE-2020-24361 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): SNMPTT before 1.4.2 allows attackers to execute shell code via EXEC, PREXEC, or unknown_trap_exec.
CVE-2011-3350 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): masqmail 0.2.21 through 0.2.30 improperly calls seteuid() in src/log.c and src/masqmail.c that results in improper…
CVE-2011-2921 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): ktsuss versions 1.4 and prior has the uid set to root and does not drop privileges prior to executing user specified…

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