# CVE-2023-29383: Information disclosure in n/a > Attackers can inject control characters to misrepresent /etc/passwd, potentially tricking admins into taking systems offline via social engineering. - **Severity:** Low 3.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N`) - **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:** 14 Apr 2023 - **Updated:** 14 Oct 2026 - **Also known as:** AZL-26247, BELL-CVE-2023-29383, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-29383, ECHO-9410-1b2d-191e, GHSA-p9w4-8hh8-crcx, OESA-2023-1258, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2023-29383, SUSE-SU-2023:2066-1, SUSE-SU-2023:2067-1, SUSE-SU-2023:2068-1, SUSE-SU-2023:2069-1, SUSE-SU-2023:2070-1, SUSE-SU-2024:0939-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-29383, openSUSE-SU-2024:12881-1 ## What is CVE-2023-29383? CVE-2023-29383 is a low-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 14 Apr 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim. ### Official description In Shadow 4.13, it is possible to inject control characters into fields provided to the SUID program chfn (change finger). Although it is not possible to exploit this directly (e.g., adding a new user fails because \n is in the block list), it is possible to misrepresent the /etc/passwd file when viewed. Use of \r manipulations and Unicode characters to work around blocking of the : character make it possible to give the impression that a new user has been added. In other words, an adversary may be able to convince a system administrator to take the system offline (an indirect, social-engineered denial of service) by demonstrating that "cat /etc/passwd" shows a rogue user account. Weakness: CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-29383? It affects 1 product. | Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `shadow` | SUSE:Enterprise Storage 7 | All versions | 4.6-150100.3.8.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Enterprise Storage 7.1 | All versions | 4.8.1-150300.4.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS | All versions | 4.6-150100.3.8.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | All versions | 4.6-150100.3.8.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS | All versions | 4.8.1-150300.4.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS | All versions | 4.8.1-150300.4.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1 | All versions | 4.8.1-150300.4.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | All versions | 4.8.1-150300.4.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | All versions | 4.8.1-150400.10.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | All versions | 4.8.1-150400.3.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | All versions | 4.8.1-150400.10.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP3 | All versions | 4.8.1-150300.4.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2-BCL | All versions | 4.2.1-27.22.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP4-ESPOS | All versions | 4.2.1-27.22.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP4-LTSS | All versions | 4.2.1-27.22.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | All versions | 4.2.1-36.3.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | All versions | 4.6-150100.3.8.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | All versions | 4.6-150100.3.8.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | All versions | 4.8.1-150300.4.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP4 | All versions | 4.2.1-27.22.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP5 | All versions | 4.2.1-36.3.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1 | All versions | 4.6-150100.3.8.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 | All versions | 4.6-150100.3.8.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | All versions | 4.8.1-150300.4.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Manager Proxy 4.2 | All versions | 4.8.1-150300.4.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:Manager Server 4.2 | All versions | 4.8.1-150300.4.6.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 9 | All versions | 4.2.1-27.22.1 | | `shadow` | SUSE:OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 9 | All versions | 4.2.1-27.22.1 | | `shadow` | openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | All versions | 4.8.1-150400.10.6.1 | | `shadow` | openSUSE:Leap Micro 5.3 | All versions | 4.8.1-150400.10.6.1 | | `shadow` | openSUSE:Leap Micro 5.4 | All versions | 4.8.1-150400.3.6.1 | | `shadow` | openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 4.13-6.1 | Products: Shadow Project Shadow. ## How do I fix CVE-2023-29383? Apply the vendor's patch. ## Is CVE-2023-29383 being exploited? It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-29383 exists. ## Other vulnerabilities in n/a - [CVE-2019-19882](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-19882/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.8) - [CVE-2016-6252](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6252/): Integer overflow in n/a (high 7.8) - [CVE-2018-7169](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-7169/): Privilege escalation in n/a (medium 5.3) ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2023-29383 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2023-29383 is a low-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 14 Apr 2023. 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-2023-29383 exists. Affected product: n/a. 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-2023-29383/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-29383/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-29383 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-29383 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-29383 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-29383/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.