CVE-2020-15703 json
aptdaemon allows unprivileged users to test for the presence of local files via the transaction Locale property
published 2020-10-31 6 y ago modified 2026-07-07 4 mo ago also GHSA-wpmr-q825-x4c6 , PYSEC-2026-783 , EUVD-2022-5615
- cvss
- 4.0
- version 3.1, CNA
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 0.5%
- EPSS 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 42%
- public exploits
- 0
- none known
Summary
There is no input validation on the Locale property in an apt transaction. An unprivileged user can supply a full path to a writable directory, which lets aptd read a file as root. Having a symlink in place results in an error message if the file exists, and no error otherwise. This way an unprivileged user can check for the existence of any files on the system as root.
Patch / fix
- pypi aptdaemon 1.1.1
- Canonical aptdaemon 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu14.4, 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu19.4, 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu32.2
- aptdaemon Ubuntu 16.04 LTS 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu14.4
- aptdaemon Ubuntu 18.04 LTS 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu19.4
- aptdaemon Ubuntu 20.04 LTS 1.1.1+bzr982-0ubuntu32.2
ubuntu advisories UBUNTU-CVE-2020-15703
Ubuntu security data © Canonical Ltd., from https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices via OSV; changed: normalised to fixed package versions per release. CC BY-SA 4.0
Exploit prediction
0.49% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 42% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).
Exploits and checks
- eyecontrol.nl https://www.eyecontrol.nl/blog/the-story-of-3-cves-in-ubuntu-desktop.html referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | 3.1 | 4.0 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N |
| NVD | 3.1 | 3.3 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N |
| NVD | 2.0 | 2.1 | AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N |
| OSV | 3.1 | 4.0 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 4.0 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N |
Affected packages
| ecosystem | package | affected | fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| pypi | aptdaemon | <1.1.1 |
1.1.1 |
Affected products
- Canonical aptdaemon
Classification
References
-
ubuntu.com
/security/notices/USN-4537-1
web, patch, third-party-advisory
-
eyecontrol.nl
/blog/the-story-of-3-cves-in-ubuntu-desktop.html
web, exploit, third-party-advisory
-
nvd.nist.gov
/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15703
advisory
-
bugs.launchpad.net
/ubuntu/+source/aptdaemon/+bug/1888235
web
-
github.com
/linuxmint/aptdaemon
package
-
github.com
/linuxmint/aptdaemon/blob/4d24cb61575ac6fbee8d5e61ef933e6093ee0a2e/debian/patches/CVE-2020-15703.patch
web
-
pypi.org
/project/aptdaemon
package
-
github.com
/advisories/GHSA-wpmr-q825-x4c6
advisory
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2020-15703
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-wpmr-q825-x4c6
- NVD CVE-2020-15703
- OSV PYSEC-2026-783
Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.