CVE-2026-45250

Unknown · setcred(2) system call

The setcred(2) system call lacks sufficient privilege enforcement, potentially exposing sensitive credential management functions to unauthorized access.

Executive summary

A critical vulnerability in the setcred(2) system call may allow unauthorized privilege escalation or credential manipulation.

Vulnerability

This issue involves improper access control within the setcred(2) system call, which fails to adequately restrict execution to privileged users. This allows for potential exploitation by authenticated, low-privileged local users.

Business impact

The exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to total system compromise, as credential management is a core security function. With a CVSS score of 7.8, the risk is significant, potentially allowing an attacker to bypass security boundaries, escalate privileges, and gain unauthorized access to sensitive data or administrative controls.

Remediation

Immediate Action: Audit systems for the use of the setcred(2) call and apply vendor-provided security patches immediately once available.

Proactive Monitoring: Review system call logs for anomalous usage patterns or unauthorized attempts to invoke the setcred(2) function.

Compensating Controls: Implement strict local user access controls and follow the principle of least privilege to limit the number of users who can interact with sensitive system calls.

Exploitation status

Public Exploit Available: false

Analyst recommendation

Given the high CVSS score, this vulnerability poses a severe threat to system integrity. Security teams should prioritize identifying affected instances within their environment and apply vendor-supplied patches as soon as they are released to prevent local privilege escalation.