CVE-2023-22809
Improper Privilege Management
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Description
In Sudo before 1.9.12p2, the sudoedit (aka -e) feature mishandles extra arguments passed in the user-provided environment variables (SUDO_EDITOR, VISUAL, and EDITOR), allowing a local attacker to append arbitrary entries to the list of files to process. This can lead to privilege escalation. Affected versions are 1.8.0 through 1.9.12.p1. The problem exists because a user-specified editor may contain a "--" argument that defeats a protection mechanism, e.g., an EDITOR='vim -- /path/to/extra/file' value.
Official description from the CVE record, published by mitre. Copyright © 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. See /security/cve/legal for the CVE license. View the record on cve.org
Key data
CVSS 3.1 High 7.8
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector: Local
The attacker needs local access to the system, or to trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity: Low
No special conditions are needed. The attack can be repeated at will.
Privileges required: Low
A basic user account is needed.
User interaction: None
No action from any user is needed.
Scope: Unchanged
The impact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality impact: High
Serious or total effect on the secrecy of data.
Integrity impact: High
Serious or total effect on the trustworthiness of data.
Availability impact: High
Serious or total effect on availability.
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | Local | The attacker needs local access to the system, or to trick a user into running something. |
| Attack complexity | Low | No special conditions are needed. The attack can be repeated at will. |
| Privileges required | Low | A basic user account is needed. |
| User interaction | None | No action from any user is needed. |
| Scope | Unchanged | The impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality impact | High | Serious or total effect on the secrecy of data. |
| Integrity impact | High | Serious or total effect on the trustworthiness of data. |
| Availability impact | High | Serious or total effect on availability. |
CVSS is owned and managed by FIRST.Org, Inc. (FIRST) and is used by permission. Each CVSS score on this site is shown together with its vector string, as published in the CVE record by the source named next to it. Learn more at first.org/cvss.
EPSS
- Score
- 0.55367 (55.4% probability)
- Percentile
- 99.0%
- Scores of
- Nov 10, 2026
- Model
- v2026.06.15
CISA assessment as of Apr 4, 2025
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
References
- synacktiv.com/sites/default/files/2023-01/sudo-CVE-2023-228…
- sudo.ws/security/advisories/sudoedit_any
- [debian-lts-announce] 20230118 [SECURITY] [DLA 3272-1] sudo security update (lists.debian.org)mailing-list
- DSA-5321 (debian.org)vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20230119 CVE-2023-22809: Sudoedit can edit arbitrary files (openwall.com)mailing-list
- FEDORA-2023-9078f609e6 (lists.fedoraproject.org)vendor-advisory
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230127-0015
- FEDORA-2023-298c136eee (lists.fedoraproject.org)vendor-advisory
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/171644/sudo-1.9.12p1-Privileg…
- GLSA-202305-12 (security.gentoo.org)vendor-advisory
- support.apple.com/kb/HT213758
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/172509/Sudoedit-Extra-Argumen…
- 20230817 KL-001-2023-003: Cisco ThousandEyes Enterprise Agent Virtual Appliance Arbitrary File Modification via sudoedit (seclists.org)mailing-list
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/174234/Cisco-ThousandEyes-Ent…
Timeline
- ID reserved
- Record published
- Record last updated
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About CubePath
Data from the CVE Program (MITRE), CISA KEV and FIRST EPSS. CVSS is owned by FIRST and used by permission. Not affiliated with or endorsed by MITRE, CISA or FIRST. Data as of Nov 10, 2026, 19:49 UTC. Sources and licenses