CVE-2024-48991: needrestart — Fix

Description

Qualys discovered that needrestart, before version 3.8, allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code as root by winning a race condition and tricking needrestart into running their own, fake Python interpreter (instead of the system's real Python interpreter). The initial security fix (6ce6136) introduced a regression which was subsequently resolved (42af5d3).

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CVSS v3.1 Score

7.8

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-362 CWE-362

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
needrestart_project	needrestart	< 3.8

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/liske/needrestart/commit/42af5d328901287a4f79d1f5861ac827a53fd56d https://github.com/liske/needrestart/commit/6ce6136cccc307c6b8a0f8cae12f9a22ac2aad59

Other References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-48991 https://www.qualys.com/2024/11/19/needrestart/needrestart.txt http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Nov/17 http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/11/30/4 https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/11/msg00014.html https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/11/19/1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-48991? +

Qualys discovered that needrestart, before version 3.8, allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code as root by winning a race condition and tricking needrestart into running their own, fake Python interpreter (instead of the system's real Python interpreter). The initial security fix (6ce6136) introduced a regression which was subsequently resolved (42af5d3). It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2024-48991? +

CVE-2024-48991 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching.

What products are affected by CVE-2024-48991? +

CVE-2024-48991 affects products from needrestart_project, specifically: needrestart. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2024-48991? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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