CVE-2024-48990

HIGHEPSS 97th pctl

7.8

CVSS v3

Description

Qualys discovered that needrestart, before version 3.8, allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code as root by tricking needrestart into running the Python interpreter with an attacker-controlled PYTHONPATH environment variable.

CWE-427

How to fix

Remediation Available

needrestartDebian

Fixed in:3.5-4+deb11u4CVE-2024-48990

Fixed in:3.6-4+deb12u2CVE-2024-48990

Fixed in:3.7-3.1CVE-2024-48990

libmodule-scandeps-perlUbuntu

Fixed in:1.20-1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-7117-1

Fixed in:1.24-1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-7117-1

Fixed in:1.27-1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-7117-1

Fixed in:1.31-1ubuntu0.1USN-7117-1

Fixed in:1.35-1ubuntu0.24.04.1USN-7117-1

needrestartUbuntu

Fixed in:2.6-1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-7117-1

Fixed in:3.1-1ubuntu0.1+esm1USN-7117-1

Fixed in:3.4-6ubuntu0.1+esm1USN-7117-1

Fixed in:3.5-5ubuntu2.2USN-7117-1

Fixed in:3.6-7ubuntu4.3USN-7117-1

TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works

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

Attack VectorLocal

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges RequiredLow

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

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

Exploit Intelligence

19.92%probability of exploitation in 30 days

97thpercentile

Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 97% of all known CVEs.

References

Patch1

github.com

Third-Party Advisory1

qualys.com

Mailing List1

openwall.com

VDB Entry1

cve.org

Other references2

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-427 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVE	Severity	CVSS	EPSS	Exploited	Fix
CVE-2020-27955	Critical	9.8	83%	-	-
CVE-2017-6517	Critical	9.8	46%	-	-
CVE-2020-3153	Medium	6.5	27%	KEV + Ransom	Fix
CVE-2019-9491	High	7.8	13%	-	-
CVE-2020-3433	High	7.8	10%	KEV + Ransom	Fix
CVE-2022-2334	High	7.2	9.9%	-	-

Common questions

How do I fix CVE-2024-48990?

Published advisories record a fix for 3 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.

Is CVE-2024-48990 being actively exploited?

Not that we know of. CVE-2024-48990 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 19.9% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 97% of all scored CVEs.

How severe is CVE-2024-48990?

CVE-2024-48990 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

What does CVE-2024-48990 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for needrestart (Debian), libmodule-scandeps-perl (Ubuntu), needrestart (Ubuntu). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

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This 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.