zsh: insecure dropping of privileges when unsetting PRIVILEGED option
Published Feb 24, 2020
7.8
HIGHCVSS 3.1
EPSS 0.50%
Description
In Zsh before 5.8, attackers able to execute commands can regain privileges dropped by the --no-PRIVILEGED option. Zsh fails to overwrite the saved uid, so the original privileges can be restored by executing MODULE_PATH=/dir/with/module zmodload with a module that calls setuid().
Affected products
No data.
Configuration 1
Configuration 2
- 30
- 31
Configuration 3
- 8.0
- 9.0
Configuration 4
- < 13.5
- < 13.5
- < 10.15.5
- ≥ 10.13.0 · < 10.13.6
- ≥ 10.14.0 · < 10.14.6
- ≥ 10.15 · < 10.15.5
- 10.13.6
- 10.13.6
- 10.13.6
- 10.13.6
- 10.13.6
- 10.13.6
- 10.13.6
- 10.13.6
- 10.13.6
- 10.13.6
- 10.13.6
- 10.13.6
- 10.14.6
- 10.14.6
- 10.14.6
- 10.14.6
- 10.14.6
- 10.14.6
- 10.14.6
- 10.14.6
- 10.14.6
- < 13.4.5
- < 6.2.5
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
zsh-0:4.3.11-11.el6_10
Fixed · RHSA-2020:0892
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
zsh-0:5.0.2-34.el7_7.2
Fixed · RHSA-2020:0853
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
zsh-0:5.5.1-6.el8_1.2
Fixed · RHSA-2020:0903
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
zsh-0:5.5.1-6.el8_1.2
Fixed · RHSA-2020:0903
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.0 Update Services for SAP Solutions
zsh-0:5.5.1-6.el8_0.2
Fixed · RHSA-2020:0978
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
zsh
Out of support scope
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | zsh-0:4.3.11-11.el6_10 | Fixed | RHSA-2020:0892 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | zsh-0:5.0.2-34.el7_7.2 | Fixed | RHSA-2020:0853 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | zsh-0:5.5.1-6.el8_1.2 | Fixed | RHSA-2020:0903 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | zsh-0:5.5.1-6.el8_1.2 | Fixed | RHSA-2020:0903 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.0 Update Services for SAP Solutions | zsh-0:5.5.1-6.el8_0.2 | Fixed | RHSA-2020:0978 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | zsh | Out of support scope | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
No remediation recorded yet.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
No CVSS v3.0 score for this CVE.
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
No CISA SSVC assessment for this CVE yet.
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 3, 2026.
Score over time
2021–2026- EPSS v1
- EPSS v5
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
Percentile over time
- EPSS v1
- EPSS v5
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
Table of values (12 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3, 2026 | 0.50% (0.00495) | 40.34th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 0.50% (0.00495) | 38.35th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 0.08% (0.00079) | 20.96th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 12, 2024 | 0.05% (0.00046) | 19.07th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| May 8, 2024 | 0.05% (0.00046) | 16.07th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 0.05% (0.00046) | 14.04th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 1.55% (0.01547) | 74.98th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Apr 1, 2022 | 1.55% (0.01547) | 72.92th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 5.16% (0.05156) | 75.74th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Jan 6, 2022 | 4.90% (0.04903) | 77.99th | v1 |
| Jan 5, 2022 | 1.14% (0.01136) | 67.93th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Apr 14, 2021 | 1.14% (0.01136) | 0.00th | v1 |
References (24)
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/May/49 mailing-listx_refsource_FULLDISCMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/May/53 mailing-listx_refsource_FULLDISCMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/May/55 mailing-listx_refsource_FULLDISCMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/May/59 mailing-listx_refsource_FULLDISCMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- http://zsh.sourceforge.net/releases.html x_refsource_MISCRelease NotesThird Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2019-20044 Vendor Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1804859 Issue Tracking
- https://github.com/XMB5/zsh-privileged-upgrade x_refsource_MISCBroken Link
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/03/msg00004.html mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/12/msg00000.html mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FP64FFIZI2CKQOEAOI5A72PVQULE7ZZC/ vendor-advisoryx_refsource_FEDORA
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PN5V7MPHRRP7QNHOEK56S7QGRU53WUN6/ vendor-advisoryx_refsource_FEDORA
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-20044
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-55 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_GENTOOThird Party Advisory
- https://support.apple.com/HT211168 x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
- https://support.apple.com/HT211170 x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
- https://support.apple.com/HT211171 x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
- https://support.apple.com/HT211175 x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211168 x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211170 x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211171 x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT211175 x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-20044
- https://www.zsh.org/mla/zsh-announce/141 x_refsource_MISCRelease NotesVendor Advisory
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.