CVE-2026-32746: telnetd in GNU inetutils through 2.7 allows an out-of-bounds write in the LINEMODE SLC (Set Local Characters)

Q: How do I fix CVE-2026-32746?

inetutils: upgrade to newer than 2.7. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2026-32746 being exploited?

CVE-2026-32746 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-2026-32746 affect?

CVE-2026-32746 affects inetutils. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). telnetd in GNU inetutils through 2.7 allows an out-of-bounds write in the LINEMODE SLC (Set Local Characters) suboption handler because add_slc does not check whether the buffer is full.

Q: How urgent is CVE-2026-32746?

Priority 72/100. Critical severity; EPSS top 1%: very likely to be exploited; Public exploit reference; CISA SSVC: automatable with total technical impact; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

This week

CRITICAL 9.8REMOTEUPGRADE

CVE-2026-32746 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.8) affecting inetutils. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

telnetd in GNU inetutils through 2.7 allows an out-of-bounds write in the LINEMODE SLC (Set Local Characters) suboption handler because add_slc does not check whether the buffer is full.

Why this priority

Critical severity
EPSS top 1%: very likely to be exploited
Public exploit reference
CISA SSVC: automatable with total technical impact
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	9.8 (Critical)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	44.8% (top 1%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-120
Published	2026-03-13
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: gnu

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

2026-03-13 19:55 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 10:36 UTCUpdated Record last modified

gnu inetutils UPGRADE

Affected: <= 2.7

Fixed in: newer than 2.7

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

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

2. UPGRADE to newer than 2.7 (Debian / Ubuntu)

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

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade inetutils

Note

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

Exact fixes by distribution

Fedora ELN · fonttools · FIXED · 4.68.0-1.eln159 · FEDORA-2026-37fa4b964c · source

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=FEDORA-2026-37fa4b964c

Fedora 46 · fonttools · FIXED · 4.68.0-1.fc46 · FEDORA-2026-65d6c01c75 · source

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=FEDORA-2026-65d6c01c75

Ubuntu 20.04 · inetutils · FIXED · 2:1.9.4-11ubuntu0.2+esm4

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade inetutils dpkg --compare-versions "$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' inetutils)" ge "2:1.9.4-11ubuntu0.2+esm4" && echo PATCHED || echo STILL-VULNERABLE

Ubuntu 22.04 · inetutils · FIXED · 2:2.2-2ubuntu0.2+esm1

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade inetutils dpkg --compare-versions "$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' inetutils)" ge "2:2.2-2ubuntu0.2+esm1" && echo PATCHED || echo STILL-VULNERABLE

Ubuntu 24.04 · inetutils · FIXED · 2:2.5-3ubuntu4.2

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade inetutils dpkg --compare-versions "$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' inetutils)" ge "2:2.5-3ubuntu4.2" && echo PATCHED || echo STILL-VULNERABLE

Ubuntu 25.10 · inetutils · FIXED · 2:2.6-1ubuntu3.2

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade inetutils dpkg --compare-versions "$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' inetutils)" ge "2:2.6-1ubuntu3.2" && echo PATCHED || echo STILL-VULNERABLE

Debian 12 · inetutils · FIXED · 2:2.4-2+deb12u3

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade inetutils dpkg --compare-versions "$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' inetutils)" ge "2:2.4-2+deb12u3" && echo PATCHED || echo STILL-VULNERABLE

Debian 13 · inetutils · FIXED · 2:2.6-3+deb13u3

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade inetutils dpkg --compare-versions "$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' inetutils)" ge "2:2.6-3+deb13u3" && echo PATCHED || echo STILL-VULNERABLE

Alpine 3.24 · inetutils-telnet · FIXED · inetutils-telnet-2.8-r0

apk add --upgrade inetutils-telnet apk info -v inetutils-telnet

Public exploits and detection

Public code exists for this CVE. Treat unpatched systems as at risk, and only run PoCs in a lab.

GitHub PoC: jeffaf/cve-2026-32746 (30 stars)
GitHub PoC: watchtowrlabs/watchtowr-vs-telnetd-CVE-2026-32746 (10 stars)
GitHub PoC: MonkeySeC-sys/Kangaroo (2 stars)
Write-up: lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-inetutils/2026-03/msg00031.html
Exploit-DB: telnetd 2.7 - Buffer Overflow

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-2026-32746?

inetutils: upgrade to newer than 2.7. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2026-32746 being exploited?

CVE-2026-32746 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-2026-32746 affect?

CVE-2026-32746 affects inetutils. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). telnetd in GNU inetutils through 2.7 allows an out-of-bounds write in the LINEMODE SLC (Set Local Characters) suboption handler because add_slc does not check whether the buffer is full.

How urgent is CVE-2026-32746?

Priority 72/100. Critical severity; EPSS top 1%: very likely to be exploited; Public exploit reference; CISA SSVC: automatable with total technical impact; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Related CVEs

CVE-2026-24061 CRITICAL 9.8 EXPLOITED UPGRADE MITIGATE GNU InetUtils Argument Injection Vulnerability
CVE-2026-32772 LOW 3.4 UPGRADE telnet in GNU inetutils through 2.7 allows servers to read arbitrary environment variables from clients via NE
CVE-2026-28372 HIGH 7.4 UPGRADE telnetd in GNU inetutils through 2.7 allows privilege escalation that can be exploited by abusing systemd serv
CVE-2023-40303 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE GNU inetutils before 2.5 may allow privilege escalation because of unchecked return values of set*id() family
CVE-2022-39028 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE UPGRADE telnetd in GNU Inetutils through 2.3, MIT krb5-appl through 1.0.3, and derivative works has a NULL pointer der

References

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