Summary
CVE-2025-4598 is a medium-severity Linux vulnerability in systemd-coredump. A local attacker can crash a SUID process and swap in a non-SUID binary to access the original process’s core dump, potentially exposing sensitive data like password hashes. Exploitation requires local access, low privileges, and precise timing.
Urgent Actions Required
- If possible, update the systemd package to the latest available version that addresses CVE-2025-4598.
- Disable SUID core dumps: echo 0 > /proc/sys/fs/suid_dumpable.
- Monitor SUID processes for unexpected crashes or unusual core dump activity.
- Review systemd-coredump configurations to ensure sensitive core dumps are not inadvertently exposed.
Which Systems Are Vulnerable to CVE-2025-4598?
Technical Overview
- Vulnerability Type: Race Condition in systemd-coredump allowing unauthorized access to SUID process core dumps
- Affected Software/Versions:
systemd-coredump on Linux systems, including:- Red Hat Enterprise Linux
- Fedora
- Debian (if manually installed)
- Oracle Linux
- General Linux Kernel environments
- Attack Vector: Local
- CVSS Score: 4.7
- CVSS Vector: CVSS: 3.1
- Attack Vector: Local
- Attack Complexity: High
- Privileges Required: Low
- User Interaction: None
- Scope: Unchanged
- Confidentiality Impact: High
- Integrity Impact: None
- Availability Impact: None
- Patch Availability: No official patch available
- Mitigations:
- Disable core dumps for SUID binaries: echo 0 > /proc/sys/fs/suid_dumpable
- Review systemd-coredump configurations
How Does the CVE-2025-4598 Exploit Work?
The attack typically follows these steps:
What Causes CVE-2025-4598?
Vulnerability Root Cause:
CVE-2025-4598 arises from a race condition in systemd-coredump when handling SUID processes on Linux. The flaw lets systemd-coredump dump a privileged SUID process’s memory before checking it’s unchanged. An attacker can crash the process, swap in a normal binary, and access sensitive data like password hashes.
How Can You Mitigate CVE-2025-4598?
If immediate patching is delayed or not possible:
- Turn off core dumps for SUID binaries: echo 0 > /proc/sys/fs/suid_dumpable (run as root).
- Check systemd-coredump settings to limit which processes can create dumps.
- Watch SUID processes for crashes or unusual activity that may signal an attack.
- Restrict local access to unprivileged users who could attempt to trigger SUID process crashes.
Which Assets and Systems Are at Risk?
Asset Types Affected:
- Linux systems with systemd-coredump enabled – Red Hat, Fedora, Oracle Linux, and Debian (if manually installed)
- SUID binaries and processes – Privileged programs that create core dumps
Business-Critical Systems at Risk:
- Systems handling sensitive data – password hashes, authentication-related binaries, or other privileged process data
- Servers running SUID processes – where crashes could expose memory content
Exposure Level:
- Local systems – exploitation requires local access with low privileges
- Systems with core dump handling for SUID binaries enabled – risk exists if /proc/sys/fs/suid_dumpable is not set to 0 and systemd-coredump is the core dump handler
Will Patching CVE-2025-4598 Cause Downtime?
Patch application impact: Low. No official patch yet.
Update systemd-coredump; minimal downtime.
How Can You Detect CVE-2025-4598 Exploitation?
Exploitation Signatures:
- Crashes of SUID processes triggered by local users.
- Creation of core dumps for privileged processes.
- Attempts to access SUID memory or /proc/pid/auxv early.
Indicators of Compromise (IOCs/IOAs):
- Unexpected access to sensitive memory contents such as /etc/shadow.
- Non-SUID processes appearing in place of crashed SUID processes.
- Race-condition activity observed in core dump handling.
Behavioral Indicators:
- Unauthorized reading of core dump files by unprivileged users.
- Anomalous timing patterns consistent with race-condition exploitation.
Alerting Strategy:
- Priority: High
Alert triggers:
- Trigger alerts for unusual SUID process crashes, abnormal core dump generation, or unexpected reads of privileged memory.
- Monitor for repeated attempts to exploit SUID processes via core dumps.
Remediation & Response
Remediation Timeline:
- Immediate (0–2 hrs): Apply /proc/sys/fs/suid_dumpable setting to 0
- Within 24 hrs: Audit all SUID processes and systemd-coredump configurations to confirm mitigation is effective
Rollback Plan:
- If needed, restore /proc/sys/fs/suid_dumpable and restrict to root.
- Document changes in your system administration logs for accountability.
Incident Response Considerations:
- Isolate affected systems if there’s evidence of unauthorized core dump access.
- Collect forensic data, including core dump files, SUID process logs, and /proc activity.
- Investigate any access to sensitive files like /etc/shadow.
- After mitigation, continuously monitor SUID processes for unusual crashes or memory access attempts.
Where Can I Find More Information on CVE-2025-4598?
- ^NVD – CVE-2025-4598
- ^CVE-2025-4598 : A vulnerability was found in systemd-coredump. This flaw allows an attacker to f
- ^CVE-2025-4598 – Red Hat Customer Portal
- ^A vulnerability was found in systemd-coredump. This flaw… · CVE-2025-4598 · GitHub Advisory Database · GitHub
- ^CVE-2025-4598 – Systemd-coredump: race condition that allows a local attacker to crash a suid program and gain read access to the resulting core dump
CVSS Breakdown Table
| Metric | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 4.7 | Medium-severity vulnerability due to a race condition allowing access to SUID process core dumps |
| Attack Vector | Local | Exploitation requires local access to the system |
| Attack Complexity | High | Requires winning a timing race condition between crashing a SUID process and analyzing its core dump |
| Privileges Required | Low | A local unprivileged account is sufficient |
| User Interaction | None | No user action is needed; the attacker only needs local access |
| Scope | UnChanged | Exploitation affects only the vulnerable SUID process and its core dump |
| Confidentiality Impact | High | Sensitive data such as /etc/shadow contents can be exposed |
| Integrity Impact | None | Exploit does not modify data or system state |
| Availability Impact | None | Exploit does not cause denial of service |
