CVE-2026-24061 — GNU InetUtils Argument Injection Vulnerability

GNU InetUtils contains an argument injection vulnerability in telnetd that could allow for remote authentication bypass via a "-f root" value for the USER environment variable.

01What is this vulnerability?

GNU InetUtils contains an argument injection vulnerability in telnetd that could allow for remote authentication bypass via a "-f root" value for the USER environment variable.

02Affected products

No structured affected-product list available — see references below for vendor advisories.

03Active exploitation status

Yes — actively exploited. Added to the CISA KEV catalog on 2026-01-26. Ransomware use: Unknown.

04Recommended remediation

• Patch to a fixed version listed in the vendor advisory (see references below).
• Mitigate with WAF rules, network egress filters, or feature flags where the patch is not yet available.
• Hunt historical logs for exploitation indicators — see Detection signatures below.

05Technical details

For the full vendor write-up, exploit chains, and reference implementations, see the references list in section 09.

06Detection signatures

Open the Sigma generator with a pre-filled prompt for this CVE to draft a starting detection in your stack of choice:

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07Related CVEs

08Timeline

• Published: —
• Last modified: —
• Added to CISA KEV: 2026-01-26
• BOD 22-01 due: 2026-02-16

09References

No additional references available in the KB record.