CVE-2019-3689: nfs-utils: root-owned files stored in insecure /var/lib/nfs directory

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 1.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2019-09-19 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-276

Description

The nfs-utils package in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 before and including version 1.3.0-34.18.1 and in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 before and including version 2.1.1-6.10.2 the directory /var/lib/nfs is owned by statd:nogroup. This directory contains files owned and managed by root. If statd is compromised, it can therefore trick processes running with root privileges into creating/overwriting files anywhere on the system.

Affected products

Linux-Nfs Nfs-Utils: through 1.3.0-34.18.1; through 2.1.1-6.10.2

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00071.html
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-11/msg00006.html
https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1150733
https://git.linux-nfs.org/?p=steved/nfs-utils.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=fee2cc29e888f2ced6a76990923aef19d326dc0e
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/10/msg00026.html
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4400-1/
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00071.html
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-11/msg00006.html
https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1150733
https://git.linux-nfs.org/?p=steved/nfs-utils.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=fee2cc29e888f2ced6a76990923aef19d326dc0e
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/10/msg00026.html
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4400-1/

Get alerted when CVE-2019-3689 or the next vulnerability affects your stack