CVE-2026-123962
Received Received - Intake

Symlink-Based Privilege Escalation in FreedomBox

Publication date: 2026-11-06

Last updated on: 2026-11-06

Assigner: MITRE

Description
In FreedomBox before 26.15, unprivileged user accounts can read/write files for which they lack permissions by setting the authorized_keys file to be a symlink. NOTE: FreedomBox is a Debian Pure Blend, which means that it distributes its software through Debian repositories.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-11-06
Last Modified
2026-11-06
Generated
2026-11-06
AI Q&A
2026-11-06
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-123962
EUVD
EUVD-2026-118380

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
Debian FreedomBox From 0 (inc) to 26.15 (exc)

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Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-61 The product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.

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Executive Summary

In FreedomBox versions before 26.15, unprivileged users can exploit a vulnerability by setting the authorized_keys file as a symlink to read or write files they normally lack permission for. This occurs because the system improperly handles symlinks in user-controlled SSH key files.

Impact Analysis

An attacker with a low-privilege account could access sensitive files or modify system files by exploiting this flaw. This could lead to data breaches, unauthorized system changes, or privilege escalation. Systems with multiple users are particularly at risk.

Mitigation Strategies

Disable the 'Allow all users to login remotely' option in the System -> Secure Shell Server settings to restrict SSH access to admin, freedombox-ssh, or sudo groups.

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