Unrated severityCISA KEVNVD Advisory· Published Jan 26, 2021· Updated Oct 21, 2025
CVE-2021-3156
CVE-2021-3156
Description
Sudo before 1.9.5p2 contains an off-by-one error that can result in a heap-based buffer overflow, which allows privilege escalation to root via "sudoedit -s" and a command-line argument that ends with a single backslash character.
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
Affected products
41- Sudo/Sudodescription
- osv-coords39 versionspkg:rpm/opensuse/sudo&distro=openSUSE%20Leap%2015.1pkg:rpm/opensuse/sudo&distro=openSUSE%20Leap%2015.2pkg:rpm/opensuse/sudo&distro=openSUSE%20Tumbleweedpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=HPE%20Helion%20OpenStack%208pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Enterprise%20Storage%205pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Enterprise%20Storage%206pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20High%20Performance%20Computing%2015%20SP1-ESPOSpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20High%20Performance%20Computing%2015%20SP1-LTSSpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20High%20Performance%20Computing%2015-ESPOSpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20High%20Performance%20Computing%2015-LTSSpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Micro%205.0pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Module%20for%20Basesystem%2015%20SP1pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Module%20for%20Basesystem%2015%20SP2pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%2012%20SP2-BCLpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%2012%20SP2-LTSSpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%2012%20SP3-BCLpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%2012%20SP3-LTSSpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%2012%20SP4-LTSSpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%2012%20SP5pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%2012%20SP5-LTSSpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%2015%20SP1-BCLpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%2015%20SP1-LTSSpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%2015-LTSSpkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%20for%20SAP%20Applications%2012%20SP2pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%20for%20SAP%20Applications%2012%20SP3pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%20for%20SAP%20Applications%2012%20SP4pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%20for%20SAP%20Applications%2012%20SP5pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%20for%20SAP%20Applications%2015pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%20for%20SAP%20Applications%2015%20SP1pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Server%20LTSS%20Extended%20Security%2012%20SP5pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Linux%20Enterprise%20Software%20Development%20Kit%2012%20SP5pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Manager%20Proxy%204.0pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Manager%20Retail%20Branch%20Server%204.0pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20Manager%20Server%204.0pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20OpenStack%20Cloud%207pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20OpenStack%20Cloud%208pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20OpenStack%20Cloud%209pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20OpenStack%20Cloud%20Crowbar%208pkg:rpm/suse/sudo&distro=SUSE%20OpenStack%20Cloud%20Crowbar%209
< 1.8.22-lp151.5.12.1+ 38 more
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-lp151.5.12.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-lp152.8.6.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.9.7p2-1.4
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.20p2-3.20.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.20p2-3.20.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.18.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.10p3-10.29.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.10p3-10.29.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.20p2-3.20.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.20p2-3.20.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.20p2-3.20.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.27-4.6.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.27-4.51.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.10p3-10.29.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.20p2-3.20.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.20p2-3.20.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.27-4.6.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.27-4.51.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.27-4.6.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.22-4.15.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.10p3-10.29.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.20p2-3.20.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.20p2-3.20.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.20p2-3.20.1
- (no CPE)range: < 1.8.20p2-3.20.1
Patches
Vulnerability mechanics
References
34- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CALA5FTXIQBRRYUA2ZQNJXB6OQMAXEII/mitrevendor-advisory
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/LHXK6ICO5AYLGFK2TAX5MZKUXTUKWOJY/mitrevendor-advisory
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-33mitrevendor-advisory
- tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-sudo-privesc-jan2021-qnYQfcMmitrevendor-advisory
- www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4839mitrevendor-advisory
- www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/794544mitrethird-party-advisory
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2021/Feb/42mitremailing-list
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2021/Jan/79mitremailing-list
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Feb/3mitremailing-list
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/01/26/3mitremailing-list
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/01/27/1mitremailing-list
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/01/27/2mitremailing-list
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/02/15/1mitremailing-list
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/09/14/2mitremailing-list
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/01/30/6mitremailing-list
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/01/30/8mitremailing-list
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/01/msg00022.htmlmitremailing-list
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/161160/Sudo-Heap-Based-Buffer-Overflow.htmlmitre
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/161230/Sudo-Buffer-Overflow-Privilege-Escalation.htmlmitre
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/161270/Sudo-1.9.5p1-Buffer-Overflow-Privilege-Escalation.htmlmitre
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/161293/Sudo-1.8.31p2-1.9.5p1-Buffer-Overflow.htmlmitre
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/176932/glibc-syslog-Heap-Based-Buffer-Overflow.htmlmitre
- kc.mcafee.com/corporate/indexmitre
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210128-0001/mitre
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210128-0002/mitre
- support.apple.com/kb/HT212177mitre
- www.beyondtrust.com/blog/entry/security-advisory-privilege-management-for-unix-linux-pmul-basic-and-privilege-management-for-mac-pmm-affected-by-sudo-vulnerabilitymitre
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/01/26/3mitre
- www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.htmlmitre
- www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.htmlmitre
- www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.htmlmitre
- www.sudo.ws/stable.htmlmitre
- www.synology.com/security/advisory/Synology_SA_21_02mitre
- www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/sudoedit-pwned-cve-2021-3156mitre
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