# CVE-2019-3844: Privilege escalation in systemd

> Local attackers can exploit SUID binaries in DynamicUser services to gain privileges and access resources owned by other services via GID recycling.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 26 Apr 2019
- **Updated:** 9 Jun 2025
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2019-3844, GHSA-h647-28xp-2hc8, UBUNTU-CVE-2019-3844

## What is CVE-2019-3844?

CVE-2019-3844 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 26 Apr 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

It was discovered that a systemd service that uses DynamicUser property can get new privileges through the execution of SUID binaries, which would allow to create binaries owned by the service transient group with the setgid bit set. A local attacker may use this flaw to access resources that will be owned by a potentially different service in the future, when the GID will be recycled.

Weakness: CWE-268 (Privilege Chaining)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-3844?

It affects 6 products.


Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Netapp Cn1610 Firmware, Netapp Hci Management Node, Netapp Snapprotect, Netapp Solidfire, Systemd Project Systemd.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-3844?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2019-3844 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2019-3844 exists.

Public exploit code:

- systemd - DynamicUser can Create setuid Binaries when Assisted by Another Process (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux

- [CVE-2020-11651](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11651/): SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-7247](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7247/): OpenSMTPD Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-16928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16928/): Exim Out-of-bounds Write (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-6789](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6789/): Exim Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-2590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2590/): Oracle Java SE and Java SE Embedded Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-3844 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-3844 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 26 Apr 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2019-3844 exists.

Affected product: Canonical Ubuntu Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3844/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3844/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-3844
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-3844
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-3844

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3844/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.