CVE-2026-24061

GNU InetUtils Argument Injection Vulnerability

Critical 9.8
Exploited: added to CISA KEV 26 Jan 2026

Description

telnetd in GNU Inetutils through 2.7 allows remote authentication bypass via a "-f root" value for the USER environment variable.

Key facts

Published: 21 Jan 2026
Last changed: 29 Sep 2026
Assigned by: mitre
KEV added: 26 Jan 2026
KEV fix due: 16 Feb 2026
EPSS: 98.984% likely to be exploited in the next 30 days, higher than 99.931% of CVEs (scores for 15 Nov 2026)
SSVC (CISA): Exploitation: active; Automatable: yes; Technical impact: total

Severity scores

Each score is shown as its source gave it. They are not averaged or merged.

9.8CVSS 3.1, Criticalfrom the CNA (mitre)CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

What to do

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.CISA KEV required action

Historical context and remediation

This reference retains the original CVE publication date. A recent record update does not mean a new attack occurred.

No separately sourced impact summary is available on this page yet. Consult the description, version data and dated exploitation evidence.

Version statuses below come from the CNA. An “unaffected” version is not necessarily a currently supported release or proof of a patch date. EPSS is a dated risk estimate, not a count of historical attacks.

Read the original CVE record.

Affected products

Vendor	Product	Versions
GNU	Inetutils	Default status: unknown 1.9.3 up to and including 2.7 (affected)