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Debian dsa-6106 : inetutils - security update
critical Nessus Plugin ID 294968
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Synopsis
The remote Debian host is missing a security-related update.Description
The remote Debian 12 / 13 host has packages installed that are affected by a vulnerability as referenced in the dsa-6106 advisory.- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Debian Security Advisory DSA-6106-1 [email protected] https://www.debian.org/security/ Salvatore Bonaccorso January 22, 2026 https://www.debian.org/security/faq
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Package : inetutils CVE ID : CVE-2026-24061 Debian Bug : 1126047
Kyu Neushwaistein discovered that telnetd from inetutils does not sanitize the USER environment variable before passing it on to login. A remote attacker can take advantage of this flaw to login as root, bypassing normal authentication processes.
For the oldstable distribution (bookworm), this problem has been fixed in version 2:2.4-2+deb12u2.
For the stable distribution (trixie), this problem has been fixed in version 2:2.6-3+deb13u1.
We recommend that you upgrade your inetutils packages.
For the detailed security status of inetutils please refer to its security tracker page at:
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/inetutils
Further information about Debian Security Advisories, how to apply these updates to your system and frequently asked questions can be found at: https://www.debian.org/security/
Mailing list: [email protected]
Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the Debian security advisory.
Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.
Solution
Upgrade the inetutils packages.See Also
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/source-package/inetutils
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-24061
Plugin Details
Severity: Critical
ID: 294968
File Name: debian_DSA-6106.nasl
Version: 1.5
Type: local
Agent: unix
Family: Debian Local Security Checks
Published: 1/22/2026
Updated: 2/12/2026
Supported Sensors: Agentless Assessment, Continuous Assessment, Frictionless Assessment Agent, Nessus Agent, Nessus
Risk Information
VPR
Risk Factor: Critical
Score: 9.4
CVSS v2
Risk Factor: Critical
Base Score: 10
Temporal Score: 8.3
Vector: CVSS2#AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
CVSS Score Source: CVE-2026-24061
CVSS v3
Risk Factor: Critical
Base Score: 9.8
Temporal Score: 9.1
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Temporal Vector: CVSS:3.0/E:F/RL:O/RC:C
Vulnerability Information
CPE: p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:inetutils-talk, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:inetutils-telnetd, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:inetutils-inetd, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:inetutils-ftpd, cpe:/o:debian:debian_linux:13.0, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:inetutils-ftp, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:inetutils-tools, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:telnet, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:inetutils-syslogd, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:inetutils-ping, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:telnetd, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:inetutils-telnet, cpe:/o:debian:debian_linux:12.0, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:inetutils-traceroute, p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:inetutils-talkd
Required KB Items: Host/local_checks_enabled, Host/Debian/release, Host/Debian/dpkg-l
Exploit Available: true
Exploit Ease: Exploits are available
Patch Publication Date: 1/22/2026
Vulnerability Publication Date: 1/21/2026
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability Due Dates: 2/16/2026
Exploitable With
Core Impact
Metasploit (GNU Inetutils Telnet Authentication Bypass Exploit CVE-2026-24061)
Reference Information
CVE: CVE-2026-24061