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SudoApplication · Todd Miller

CVE-2010-2956

MEDIUM · 6.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-09-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Sudo 1.7.0 through 1.7.4p3, when a Runas group is configured, does not properly handle use of the -u option in conjunction with the -g option, which allows local users to gain privileges via a command line containing a "-u root" sequence.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Sudo versions 1.7.0 through 1.7.4p3 contain a privilege escalation flaw when a Runas group is configured. The -u option (specify run-as user) is not properly validated when used in conjunction with the -g option (run-as group), allowing local users to bypass restrictions and gain root privileges by including a '-u root' sequence in their command line.

MitigationUpgrade to sudo version 1.7.4p4 or later. As an interim measure, audit sudo configurations and restrict or monitor users with Runas group permissions until the patch can be applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
SudoApplication
Affected:= 1.7.0= 1.7.1= 1.7.2= 1.7.2p1= 1.7.2p2= 1.7.2p3= 1.7.2p4= 1.7.2p5= 1.7.2p6= 1.7.2p7= 1.7.3b1= 1.7.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
High
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed sudo version
    Run 'sudo -V' and look for the version number in the output header (e.g., Sudo version 1.7.x)
    Affected if The version is 1.7.0 through 1.7.4p3 (any 1.7.0, 1.7.1, 1.7.2.x, 1.7.3b1, or 1.7.4) without the p4 patch applied
  2. Locate sudoers configuration file
    Check /etc/sudoers or files in /etc/sudoers.d/ directory for any Runas_Alias definitions or Runas_Spec entries (lines containing 'Runas_Alias' or user:group specifications)
    Affected if Any Runas_Alias or Runas_Spec is defined in the sudoers configuration
  3. Identify users with Runas group privileges
    Search sudoers files for entries that specify a group with the -g option (e.g., '%groupname ALL=(ALL:groupname) ALL' or similar Runas group specifications)
    Affected if Users or groups are permitted to run commands with a Runas group specified
  4. Test for vulnerable -u/-g interaction
    As a non-root user with Runas group permissions, attempt to append '-u root' to a command run with -g, for example: sudo -g somegroup -u root <command>
    Affected if The command executes as root when it should have been restricted by the Runas group configuration

You are affected if sudo version is 1.7.0 through 1.7.4p3 AND your sudoers configuration contains any Runas group specifications that could be combined with the -u option to bypass intended restrictions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to sudo version 1.7.4p4 or later. As an interim measure, audit sudo configurations and restrict or monitor users with Runas group permissions until the patch can be applied.

Fix this in Sudo Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2010-2956 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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