Severe Vulnerability in Telnetd Allows Unauthenticated Root Access via Port 23

A serious flaw in the GNU InetUtils telnet daemon could allow remote attackers to gain root access without authentication.

3 min readSecurity

Recent findings by cybersecurity experts have revealed a significant vulnerability in the GNU InetUtils telnet daemon, known as telnetd. This flaw, identified as CVE-2026-32746, poses a severe risk as it enables unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code with root privileges. The vulnerability has been assigned a high CVSS score of 9.8, indicating its critical nature. The issue arises from an out-of-bounds write in the LINEMODE Set, which can be exploited through port 23. Organizations using affected versions of telnetd are urged to take immediate action to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability. Failure to address this flaw could lead to unauthorized access and potential system compromise.

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