CVE-2026-24061 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting telnetd in GNU Inetutils through version 2.7, including Debian systems. This flaw allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to gain root privileges by injecting "-f root" into the USER environment variable. With a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical), it presents a severe risk due to its network-based attack vector and complete compromise potential. The vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild, listed on CISA's KEV, and has publicly available exploit modules in Metasploit and Nuclei, indicating high exploitability and widespread attention. Immediate mitigation is crucial for any systems still utilizing GNU Inetutils telnetd.
| Vendor | Product | Version(s) | CPE |
|---|---|---|---|
>= 1.9.3, <= 2.7CPE match | cpe:2.3:a:gnu:inetutils:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | ||
11.0CPE matchmatch criteria | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
CVSS version used by this source: 3.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
The average CVE in this peer group has 0.0 Twitter, 0.1 Reddit, 0.3 Bluesky, 0.3 Mastodon, and 2.4 GitHub mentions.
The average CVE in this peer group has 0.3 InfoSec Media, 0.0 Vendor Blog, and 0.0 Security Researcher mentions.
Moxa’s Response Regarding Remote Authentication Bypass in GNU Inetutils Telnetd (CVE-2026-24061)
Mar 9, 2026Moxa’s Response Regarding Remote Authentication Bypass in GNU Inetutils Telnetd (CVE-2026-24061)
Mar 9, 2026Moxa’s Response Regarding Remote Authentication Bypass in GNU Inetutils Telnetd (CVE-2026-24061)
Mar 9, 2026Moxa’s Response Regarding Remote Authentication Bypass in GNU Inetutils Telnetd (CVE-2026-24061)
Mar 9, 2026Moxa’s Response Regarding Remote Authentication Bypass in GNU Inetutils Telnetd (CVE-2026-24061)
Mar 9, 2026Moxa’s Response Regarding Remote Authentication Bypass in GNU Inetutils Telnetd (CVE-2026-24061)
Mar 9, 2026