CVE-2025-46803 Screen creates by default world-writable PTYs
Medium 5.1
Published
Updated
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-46803 and fix it if it is affected.
What it is: CVE-2025-46803 is a medium-severity vulnerability, published on 26 May 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-46803 exists.
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-2025-46803/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-46803/index.md)
Screen allocates world-writable PTYs by default, allowing local attackers to inject input into other users' sessions.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2025-46803?
CVE-2025-46803 is a medium-severity vulnerability, published on 26 May 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
The default mode of pseudo terminals (PTYs) allocated by Screen was changed from 0620 to 0622, thereby allowing anyone to write to any Screen PTYs in the system.
Weakness: CWE-276
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-46803?
How do I fix CVE-2025-46803?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2025-46803 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-46803 exists.
Sources
Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2025-46803, BELL-CVE-2025-46803, GHSA-g2cq-wg23-g8qw.