CVE-2023-29383
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
02 Description
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
03 Exploitation and scoring
- Exploitation
- Public exploit code exists. CISA's assessment records a public proof of concept. That is not a report of exploitation in the wild.
- SSVC decision
- ExploitationpocPublic proof-of-concept exploit code exists. Not a report of exploitation in the wild.
- AutomatablenoAt least one step from reconnaissance to exploitation cannot be reliably automated.
- Technical ImpactpartialSuccessful exploitation gives limited control of the vulnerable component.
- EPSS probability
- 0.42% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days.
- EPSS percentile
- Equal to or higher than the score of 36.6% of scored records. A rank, not a probability.
- NVD base score
- 3.3 (CVSS v3.x), scored by the NVD independently of the CNA.
- NVD CVSS vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
- NVD analysis status
- Modified. NVD last modified this record on 2026-10-14.
- Red Hat severity
- Moderate. Red Hat's rating for its own products, not a CVSS rating.
Exploit-prediction scores from FIRST. Independent scoring and analysis status from the NVD. Vendor severity from Red Hat. Exploitation assessment and catalog membership from CISA.
04 Metadata
- Published
- 2023-04-14 00:00Z3 YR AGO
- Last updated
- 2026-10-14 22:55Z14 DAYS AGO
- Reserved
- 2023-04-05
- Assigning CNA
- mitre
- Record state
- PUBLISHED
- Severity
- Not rated by the issuing CNA
- CNA CVSS vector
- Not published by the issuing CNA
- Weaknesses
- Data version
- 5.2
- Document digest
- 271b824e32f97f4a40a8a965637e358c64726606abcc470c0d635c8a30756c85
05 Affected products
06 References
- github.comhttps://github.com/shadow-maint/shadow/pull/687
- github.comhttps://github.com/shadow-maint/shadow/commit/e5905c4b84d4fb90aefcd96ee618411ebfac663d
- www.trustwave.comhttps://www.trustwave.com/en-us/resources/security-resources/security-advisories/?fid=31797
- www.trustwave.comhttps://www.trustwave.com/en-us/resources/blogs/spiderlabs-blog/cve-2023-29383-abusing-linux-chfn-to-misrepresent-etc-passwd/
- lists.debian.orghttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/04/msg00026.html
- cert-portal.siemens.comhttps://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
- cert-portal.siemens.comhttps://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-202008.html
07 Fixed in
Debian 12
- shadow Fixed in 1:4.13+dfsg1-1+deb12u1
Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Debian 13
- shadow Fixed in 1:4.13+dfsg1-2
Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Debian 14
- shadow Fixed in 1:4.13+dfsg1-2
Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
- shadow No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- shadow No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS
- shadow No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS
- shadow No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS
- shadow No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
A release or ecosystem missing from this list has no record here. It may be unaffected or not covered by the source. Source notices and licences.