# CVE-2020-1742: Privilege escalation in nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate-handler

> An attacker with container access can modify /etc/passwd to escalate privileges in kubernetes-nmstate-handler deployments.

- **Severity:** High 7.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **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:** No
- **Published:** 7 Jun 2021
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024

## What is CVE-2020-1742?

CVE-2020-1742 is a high-severity vulnerability in nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate-handler, published on 7 Jun 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An insecure modification vulnerability flaw was found in containers using nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate-handler. An attacker with access to the container could use this flaw to modify /etc/passwd and escalate their privileges. Versions before kubernetes-nmstate-handler-container-v2.3.0-30 are affected.

Weakness: CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource), CWE-266 (Incorrect Privilege Assignment)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-1742?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Nmstate Kubernetes-Nmstate, Redhat Openshift Virtualization.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-1742?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-1742 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-1742 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1742 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-1742 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-1742 is a high-severity vulnerability in nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate-handler, published on 7 Jun 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1742 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: nmstate/kubernetes-nmstate-handler. 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-2020-1742/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1742/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1742
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1742
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-1742

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1742/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.