Vulnerability · Published Sep 25, 2026 · Assigned by fedora
CVE-2026-91840Networkmanager-vpnc: networkmanager-vpnc: local privilege escalation to root via newline injection in vpn username
High 7.8
In plain English
A high-severity security flaw in NetworkManager-vpnc from GNOME. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.2% (higher than 9% of all known vulnerabilities).
Severity (CVSS 3.1)7.8High
Exploit odds (30 days)0.2%top 90.9% of all CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo reportsCISA SSVC: none
Attack toolingNoneno public tooling known
Official description
A flaw was found in NetworkManager-vpnc. This vulnerability allows a local unprivileged user to escalate privileges to root. By injecting a newline character into the VPN username field, an attacker can manipulate the vpnc configuration to execute an arbitrary program with root privileges when the malicious VPN connection is activated.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | network-manager-vpnc | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-91840 |
| Debian:13 | network-manager-vpnc | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-91840 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | network-manager-vpnc | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-91840 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | network-manager-vpnc | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-91840 |
| Ubuntu:26.04:LTS | network-manager-vpnc | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-91840 |
| Ubuntu:26.10 | network-manager-vpnc | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-91840 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| GNOME | NetworkManager-vpnc | 0 – before * |
Weakness: CWE-93 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-91840 vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2533642 issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://gitlab.gnome.org/Archive/NetworkManager-vpnc/-/work_items/19