CVE-2023-29383
LOWDescription
In Shadow 4.13, it is possible to inject control characters into fields provided to the SUID program chfn (change finger). Although it is not possible to exploit this directly (e.g., adding a new user fails because \n is in the block list), it is possible to misrepresent the /etc/passwd file when viewed. Use of \r manipulations and Unicode characters to work around blocking of the : character make it possible to give the impression that a new user has been added. In other words, an adversary may be able to convince a system administrator to take the system offline (an indirect, social-engineered denial of service) by demonstrating that "cat /etc/passwd" shows a rogue user account.
How to fix
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 34% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-74 (Injection) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2013-2251 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2023-22527 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2019-2725 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2022-46169 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2022-35914 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | - |
| CVE-2019-17558 | High | 7.5 | 99% | KEV | Fix |
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Start freeThis product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-11-03.