CVE-2026-61898 Details
Description
The Ubuntu-specific language helper scripts (save-to-pam-env, update-langlist) shipped with accountsservice before 23.13.9-8ubuntu7 treat the user-controlled LANGUAGE entry in ~/.pam_environment as trusted input. The value is interpolated unescaped into a GNU sed replacement expression, allowing an attacker to inject a sed 'e' flag and arbitrary shell commands that execute with the privileges of the AccountsService helper process (real UID 0) via the SetLanguage D-Bus method.
Metrics
CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:
No CVSS 4.0 data is available for this CVE.
CVSS 3.x Severity and Vector Strings:
No data available for CVSS Version 2.0 on this CVE.
CISA-ADP
Assessed Aug 26, 2026References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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| URL | Source(s) | Tag(s) |
|---|---|---|
| https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/accountsservice/+bug/2157985 | [email protected] | |
| https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-61898 | [email protected] |
Weakness Enumeration
| CWE-ID | CWE Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CWE-78 | Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') | [email protected] |
Affected Products
No affected product data is available for this CVE.
Change History
3 change records found show changes
| Date | Action | Recorded By |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 2026 | CVE Modified | [email protected] |
| Aug 26, 2026 | CVE Modified | CISA-ADP |
| Aug 20, 2026 | New CVE Received | [email protected] |