CVE-2020-24331: An issue was discovered in TrouSerS through 0.3.14

Q: How do I fix CVE-2020-24331?

trousers: upgrade to newer than 0.3.14; fedora: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2020-24331 being exploited?

CVE-2020-24331 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2020-24331 affect?

CVE-2020-24331 affects trousers, fedora. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). An issue was discovered in TrouSerS through 0.3.14. If the tcsd daemon is started with root privileges, the tss user still has read and write access to the /etc/tcsd.conf file (which contains various settings related to this daemon).

Q: How urgent is CVE-2020-24331?

Priority 43/100. High severity; Public exploit reference

This month

HIGH 7.8UPGRADEMITIGATE

CVE-2020-24331 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.8) affecting trousers, fedora. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

An issue was discovered in TrouSerS through 0.3.14. If the tcsd daemon is started with root privileges, the tss user still has read and write access to the /etc/tcsd.conf file (which contains various settings related to this daemon).

Why this priority

High severity
Public exploit reference

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.8 (High)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.5% (top 58%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-269
Published	2020-08-13
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: fedoraproject · trousers project

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2020-08-13 17:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 03:05 UTCUpdated Record last modified

trousers project trousers UPGRADE

Affected: <= 0.3.14

Fixed in: newer than 0.3.14

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy trousers || rpm -q trousers || trousers --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 0.3.14 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade trousers

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade trousers

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

fedoraproject fedora MITIGATE

Affected: 33

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 33

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2020-24331?

trousers: upgrade to newer than 0.3.14; fedora: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2020-24331 being exploited?

CVE-2020-24331 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2020-24331 affect?

CVE-2020-24331 affects trousers, fedora. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). An issue was discovered in TrouSerS through 0.3.14. If the tcsd daemon is started with root privileges, the tss user still has read and write access to the /etc/tcsd.conf file (which contains various settings related to this daemon).

How urgent is CVE-2020-24331?

Priority 43/100. High severity; Public exploit reference

Related CVEs

CVE-2020-24332 MEDIUM 5.5 UPGRADE MITIGATE An issue was discovered in TrouSerS through 0.3.14
CVE-2020-24330 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE MITIGATE An issue was discovered in TrouSerS through 0.3.14
CVE-2019-18898 HIGH 7.7 UPGRADE MITIGATE UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following vulnerability in the trousers package of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 1

References

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