Answer in brief
CVE-2026-72693 records a Unknown severity vulnerability in Kbd: local privilege escalation in openvt via incorrect process owner verification allowing passwordless root login. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Affected software not mapped in the current feed; confirm the named product and version against your inventory.
Analysis pending evidence review
HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.
A CVSS score is not reported in the current record. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.
Analysis status
Analysis pending evidence review
Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.
Affected software not mapped in the current feed; confirm the named product and version against your inventory.
Published upstream
Aug 11, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Aug 11, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Aug 11, 2026
`openvt -u` is intended to identify the owner of the current VT and then execute `login` as that user from a privileged context. In the documented `kbrequest`/init usage, the ownership test in `authenticate_user()` relies on `stat("/proc/<pid>/fd/0")`. `stat()` on `/proc/<pid>/fd/0` follows the symlink to the underlying TTY device node. As a result, `buf.st_uid` reflects the owner of the TTY node rather than the owner of the process holding the file descriptor. If the TTY owner returns to `root` or the getty owner after logout while an unprivileged process still has `fd 0` attached to that TTY, the check can incorrectly treat that process as belonging to the privileged console owner. Once that check succeeds, the `-u` path executes a passwordless login as the selected user. In the documented `kbrequest`/init deployment using `openvt -us`, this can result in passwordless `login -f root` on the spawned VT. This report establishes that privilege escalation path for that documented deployment; it does not claim equivalent reachability for deployments that do not use `openvt -u` from a privileged `kbrequest`/init path.
Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.
Answer in brief
CVE-2026-72693 records a Unknown severity vulnerability in Kbd: local privilege escalation in openvt via incorrect process owner verification allowing passwordless root login. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Affected software not mapped in the current feed; confirm the named product and version against your inventory.
Analysis pending evidence review
HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.
A CVSS score is not reported in the current record. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.
Analysis status
Analysis pending evidence review
Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.
Affected software not mapped in the current feed; confirm the named product and version against your inventory.
Published upstream
Aug 11, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Aug 11, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Aug 11, 2026
`openvt -u` is intended to identify the owner of the current VT and then execute `login` as that user from a privileged context. In the documented `kbrequest`/init usage, the ownership test in `authenticate_user()` relies on `stat("/proc/<pid>/fd/0")`. `stat()` on `/proc/<pid>/fd/0` follows the symlink to the underlying TTY device node. As a result, `buf.st_uid` reflects the owner of the TTY node rather than the owner of the process holding the file descriptor. If the TTY owner returns to `root` or the getty owner after logout while an unprivileged process still has `fd 0` attached to that TTY, the check can incorrectly treat that process as belonging to the privileged console owner. Once that check succeeds, the `-u` path executes a passwordless login as the selected user. In the documented `kbrequest`/init deployment using `openvt -us`, this can result in passwordless `login -f root` on the spawned VT. This report establishes that privilege escalation path for that documented deployment; it does not claim equivalent reachability for deployments that do not use `openvt -u` from a privileged `kbrequest`/init path.
Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.