Vulnerability · Published Oct 15, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-55480CUPS copy_model() creates a predictable PPD tempfile without O_EXCL/O_NOFOLLOW (symlink TOCTOU, lp → root)
Medium 5.7
In plain English
A medium-severity security flaw in cups from OpenPrinting. Proof-of-concept exploit code is public. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.2% (higher than 10% of all known vulnerabilities).
Official description
OpenPrinting CUPS is an open source printing system for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. Prior to 2.4.20, copy_model() in scheduler/ipp.c creates a predictable TempDir/<connection-number>.ppd path in an lp-group-writable directory and opens it as root without O_EXCL or O_NOFOLLOW. Exploitation requires an lp-group process able to write that directory to predict the connection-derived name and plant a symlink before the root open, while a privileged add-printer or modify-printer operation using a model PPD triggers copy_model(). The reporter treats an existing lp foothold and the privileged operation as distinct prerequisites, while the maintainer assesses high privileges because installing the relevant filter or administering the printer requires root or print-administrator access. If the race succeeds, the root scheduler follows the symlink and truncates or overwrites a root-writable target with generated PPD data, compromising file integrity or availability. This issue is fixed in version 2.4.20.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | cups | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-55480 |
| Debian:13 | cups | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-55480 |
| Debian:14 | cups | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-55480 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | cups | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-55480 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | cups | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-55480 |
| Ubuntu:26.04:LTS | cups | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-55480 |
| Ubuntu:26.10 | cups | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-55480 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| OpenPrinting | cups | < 2.4.20 |
Weakness: CWE-59, CWE-377 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
References
- https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups/security/advisories/GHSA-jj94-x3qh-ffp9 x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups/commit/98adfd855950e806508f961d5438ad32e26aac62 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups/commit/f6a11dae0f0f3b748fbca931e237be03ffe8e48e x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups/releases/tag/v2.4.20 x_refsource_MISC