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Amazon Linux 2 : kbd, --advisory ALAS2-2026-3885 (ALAS-2026-3885)

🗓️ 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00Reported by TenableType 
nessus
 nessus
🔗 www.tenable.com👁 2 Views

Privilege escalation in kbd via openvt -u stat symlink allowing passwordless root login.

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Refs
Code
#%NASL_MIN_LEVEL 80900
##
# (C) Tenable, Inc.
#
# The descriptive text and package checks in this plugin were
# extracted from Amazon Linux 2 Security Advisory ALAS-2026-3885.
##

include('compat.inc');

if (description)
{
  script_id(341904);
  script_version("1.1");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_modification_date", value:"2026/08/31");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2026-72693");

  script_name(english:"Amazon Linux 2 : kbd, --advisory ALAS2-2026-3885 (ALAS-2026-3885)");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"The remote Amazon Linux 2 host is missing a security update.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"The version of kbd installed on the remote host is prior to 1.15.5-15. It is, therefore, affected by a vulnerability as
referenced in the ALAS2-2026-3885 advisory.

    `openvt -u` is intended to identify the owner of the current VT and then execute `login` as that user from
    a privileged context. In the documented `kbrequest`/init usage, the ownership test in
    `authenticate_user()` relies on `stat(/proc/<pid>/fd/0)`. `stat()` on `/proc/<pid>/fd/0` follows the
    symlink to the underlying TTY device node. As a result, `buf.st_uid` reflects the owner of the TTY node
    rather than the owner of the process holding the file descriptor. If the TTY owner returns to `root` or
    the getty owner after logout while an unprivileged process still has `fd 0` attached to that TTY, the
    check can incorrectly treat that process as belonging to the privileged console owner. Once that check
    succeeds, the `-u` path executes a passwordless login as the selected user. In the documented
    `kbrequest`/init deployment using `openvt -us`, this can result in passwordless `login -f root` on the
    spawned VT. This report establishes that privilege escalation path for that documented deployment; it does
    not claim equivalent reachability for deployments that do not use `openvt -u` from a privileged
    `kbrequest`/init path. (CVE-2026-72693)

Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the tested product security advisory.

Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version
number.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://alas.aws.amazon.com//AL2/ALAS2-2026-3885.html");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://alas.aws.amazon.com/faqs.html");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://explore.alas.aws.amazon.com/CVE-2026-72693.html");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
"Run 'yum update kbd' or
  or 'yum update --advisory ALAS2-2026-3885' to update your system.");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:L/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:U/RL:OF/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:O/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2026-72693");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"No known exploits are available");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploit_available", value:"false");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2026/08/11");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"patch_publication_date", value:"2026/08/31");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2026/08/31");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:kbd");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:kbd-debuginfo");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:kbd-legacy");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:kbd-misc");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:amazon:linux:2");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"generated_plugin", value:"current");
  script_end_attributes();

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"Amazon Linux Local Security Checks");

  script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2026 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");

  script_dependencies("ssh_get_info.nasl");
  script_require_keys("Host/local_checks_enabled", "Host/AmazonLinux/release", "Host/AmazonLinux/rpm-list");

  exit(0);
}

include("rpm2.inc");

if (!get_kb_item("Host/local_checks_enabled")) audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_ENABLED);

var alas_release = get_kb_item("Host/AmazonLinux/release");
if (isnull(alas_release) || !strlen(alas_release)) audit(AUDIT_OS_NOT, "Amazon Linux");
var os_ver = pregmatch(pattern: "^AL(A|\d+|-\d+)", string:alas_release);
if (isnull(os_ver)) audit(AUDIT_UNKNOWN_APP_VER, "Amazon Linux");
os_ver = os_ver[1];
if (os_ver != "2")
{
  if (os_ver == 'A') os_ver = 'AMI';
  audit(AUDIT_OS_NOT, "Amazon Linux 2", "Amazon Linux " + os_ver);
}

if (!get_kb_item("Host/AmazonLinux/rpm-list")) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_LIST_MISSING);

var pkgs = [
    {'reference':'kbd-1.15.5-15.amzn2.0.1', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'AL2', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kbd-1.15.5-15.amzn2.0.1', 'cpu':'i686', 'release':'AL2', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kbd-1.15.5-15.amzn2.0.1', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'AL2', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kbd-debuginfo-1.15.5-15.amzn2.0.1', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'AL2', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kbd-debuginfo-1.15.5-15.amzn2.0.1', 'cpu':'i686', 'release':'AL2', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kbd-debuginfo-1.15.5-15.amzn2.0.1', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'AL2', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kbd-legacy-1.15.5-15.amzn2.0.1', 'release':'AL2', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'kbd-misc-1.15.5-15.amzn2.0.1', 'release':'AL2', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE}
];

var flag = 0;
foreach var package_array ( pkgs ) {
  var reference = NULL;
  var _release = NULL;
  var sp = NULL;
  var _cpu = NULL;
  var el_string = NULL;
  var rpm_spec_vers_cmp = NULL;
  var epoch = NULL;
  var allowmaj = NULL;
  var exists_check = NULL;
  var cves = NULL;
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['reference'])) reference = package_array['reference'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['release'])) _release = package_array['release'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['sp'])) sp = package_array['sp'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['cpu'])) _cpu = package_array['cpu'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['el_string'])) el_string = package_array['el_string'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['rpm_spec_vers_cmp'])) rpm_spec_vers_cmp = package_array['rpm_spec_vers_cmp'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['epoch'])) epoch = package_array['epoch'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['allowmaj'])) allowmaj = package_array['allowmaj'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['exists_check'])) exists_check = package_array['exists_check'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['cves'])) cves = package_array['cves'];
  if (reference && _release && (!exists_check || rpm_exists(release:_release, rpm:exists_check))) {
    if (rpm_check(release:_release, sp:sp, cpu:_cpu, reference:reference, epoch:epoch, el_string:el_string, rpm_spec_vers_cmp:rpm_spec_vers_cmp, allowmaj:allowmaj, cves:cves)) flag++;
  }
}

if (flag)
{
  security_report_v4(
      port       : 0,
      severity   : SECURITY_WARNING,
      extra      : rpm_report_get()
  );
  exit(0);
}
else
{
  var tested = pkg_tests_get();
  if (tested) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_NOT_AFFECTED, tested);
  else audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_NOT_INSTALLED, "kbd / kbd-debuginfo / kbd-legacy / etc");
}

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31 Aug 2026 00:00Current
6Medium risk
Vulners AI Score6
CVSS 3.17.8
EPSS0.00107
SSVC
2