dbcve.org
InetutilsApplication · Gnu

CVE-2026-32746

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.7 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit Remotely reachable 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
telnetd in GNU inetutils through 2.7 allows an out-of-bounds write in the LINEMODE SLC (Set Local Characters) suboption handler because add_slc does not check whether the buffer is full.

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

The telnetd server in GNU inetutils through version 2.7 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in the LINEMODE SLC (Set Local Characters) suboption handler. The add_slc function fails to verify buffer capacity before writing data, allowing an out-of-bounds write that could enable remote code execution with high complexity.

MitigationRestrict or disable telnetd service exposure, and apply vendor patches for GNU inetutils when available.

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
InetutilsApplication
Affected:<= 2.7

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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. Check if telnetd is running
    Use process listing commands (such as 'ps aux | grep telnetd' or checking systemd service status) to determine if the telnet daemon is currently active on the system
    Affected if telnetd is not running - the vulnerability cannot be exploited if the service is inactive
  2. Identify the inetutils version
    Query the installed GNU inetutils version using available commands such as 'inetd --version', 'telnetd --version', or check the package manager (dpkg, rpm, or similar) for the inetutils package version
    Affected if The installed version is 2.7 or lower, meaning it falls within the affected range <= 2.7
  3. Verify telnet server implementation
    Confirm that the telnetd service is provided by GNU inetutils rather than another telnet implementation, as this vulnerability is specific to the GNU inetutils version
    Affected if The telnet server is provided by GNU inetutils and the version is within the affected range

A system is affected if GNU inetutils version 2.7 or lower is installed and the telnetd service is actively running, enabling remote exploitation via the LINEMODE SLC buffer overflow.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.7
Interim mitigation

Restrict or disable telnetd service exposure, and apply vendor patches for GNU inetutils when available.

Fix this in Inetutils Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,416.

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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-2026-32746 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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data