Exploited· due 2026-02-16
CVE-2026-24061
GNU InetUtils
GNU InetUtils contains an argument injection vulnerability in telnetd that could allow for remote authentication bypass via a "-f root" value for the USER environment variable.
Exploitation status
- CISA has confirmed this is being exploited in the wild. That is an observation of real attacks, not a prediction.
- US federal civilian agencies are required to remediate it by 2026-02-16. That deadline does not bind private companies, but it is a reasonable benchmark for how urgently CISA views it.
Required action
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
CISA’s wording, unedited.
Scoring
- CVSS
- Not yet scored
Dates
- Published
- 2026-01-26
- Added to KEV
- 2026-01-26
- Remediation due
- 2026-02-16
- Sources
- CISA KEV