CVE-2023-22809

HIGHNVD 7.88.4
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

“▲” beside the score: it is higher than NVD's CVSS score.

Score elevated to 8.4 because EPSS predicted 55% probability of exploitation within the next 30 days (99th percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs) when EchelonGraph scored this CVE. NVD baseline CVSS 7.8 retained for reference. Confidence: see factors.

Triggered by: EPSS exploit prediction (continuous uplift above 30%)
Sources: EPSS, GitHub Security Advisory, NVD CVSS v3
Weaponized
8.4EG
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixRemediate within your standard update timelines (the SSVC decision on this page).
  • High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 55%
  • Public exploit code is available (Metasploit, other public proof-of-concept code)
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 55%CVSS: 7.8Exploit: Metasploit · other public PoCExposed services: Not assessed

A fix is available — apply it.

In Sudo before 1.9.12p2, the sudoedit (aka -e) feature mishandles extra arguments passed in the user-provided environment variables (SUDO_EDITOR, VISUAL, and EDITOR), allowing a local attacker to append arbitrary entries to the list of files to process. This can lead to privilege escalation. Affected versions are 1.8.0 through 1.9.12.p1. The problem exists because a user-specified editor may contain a "--" argument that defeats a protection mechanism, e.g., an EDITOR='vim -- /path/to/extra/file' value.

CVSS v3
7.8
EG Score
8.4HIGHhigh confidence
EG Risk
64
EG Risk 64/100

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed (value × EchelonGraph’s weight)
Severity84% × 45%
The EG Score, 8.4 of 10.
Exploitation65% × 40%
EchelonGraph's fixed weight for EG-KEV Tier 2 (Weaponized): a constant, not a probability.
Automatability0% × 15%
CISA's SSVC Automatable value: no (Vulnrichment).
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph): Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).
Exploitation none (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE.
Action: A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.
EPSS PROB
55%
EPSS %ILE
99th
KEV
Not listed

SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).

A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.

Exploitation none (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table

BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.

In CISA KEV no (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it

Published

January 18, 2023

Last Modified

April 4, 2025

Advisory Details (10)

Auto-updated Oct 8, 2026
Patch available.
Web page

NetApp Product Security

https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230127-0015/
Web page

sudo: Root Privilege Escalation (GLSA 202305-12) — Gentoo security

https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202305-12
Web page

[SECURITY] Fedora 36 Update: sudo-1.9.12-2.p2.fc36 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/G4YNBTTKTRT2ME3NTSXAPTOKYUE47XHZ/
Web page

[SECURITY] Fedora 37 Update: sudo-1.9.12-1.p2.fc37 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2QDGFCGAV5QRJCE6IXRXIS4XJHS57DDH/
Web pageMentions a patch (unverified)

[SECURITY] [DLA 3272-1] sudo security update

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/01/msg00012.html
Web page

oss-security - CVE-2023-22809: Sudoedit can edit arbitrary files

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/01/19/1
Web page

Full Disclosure: KL-001-2023-003: Cisco ThousandEyes Enterprise Agent Virtual Appliance Arbitrary File Modification via sudoedit

http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2023/Aug/21
Web page

Packet Storm

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174234/Cisco-ThousandEyes-Enterprise-Agent-Virtual-Appliance-Arbitrary-File-Modification.html
Web page

Packet Storm

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172509/Sudoedit-Extra-Arguments-Privilege-Escalation.html
Web page

Packet Storm

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/171644/sudo-1.9.12p1-Privilege-Escalation.html

Vendor Advisories for CVE-2023-22809(2)

These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.

Patch Availability(16)

Vendor / EcosystemFix (by version range) / PatchReleasedSource
ubuntusudo (1.9.9-1ubuntu2.2) @ jammy2026-05-25ubuntu
ubuntusudo (1.8.16-0ubuntu1.10+esm1) @ xenial2026-05-25ubuntu
ubuntusudo (1.8.9p5-1ubuntu1.5+esm7) @ trusty2026-05-25ubuntu
redhatsudo-0:1.8.19p2-12.el7_4.32023-05-23redhat
redhatsudo-0:1.8.23-3.el7_6.32023-05-23redhat
redhatsudo-0:1.8.23-4.el7_7.42023-05-23redhat
redhatredhat-virtualization-host-0:4.5.3-202302150956_8.62023-02-21redhat
redhatsudo-0:1.8.29-7.el8_4.22023-01-23redhat
redhatsudo-0:1.8.29-8.el8_6.12023-01-23redhat
redhatsudo-0:1.9.5p2-7.el9_0.22023-01-23redhat
redhatsudo-0:1.8.23-10.el7_9.32023-01-23redhat
redhatsudo-0:1.8.29-5.el8_2.22023-01-23redhat
redhatsudo-0:1.8.6p3-29.el6_10.72023-01-23redhat
redhatsudo-0:1.8.29-8.el8_7.12023-01-23redhat
redhatsudo-0:1.8.25p1-8.el8_1.32023-01-23redhat
redhatsudo-0:1.9.5p2-7.el9_1.12023-01-23redhat

Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.

Affected Packages

(7 across 7 ecosystems)
Alpine:v3.14(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
sudo—
  • 1.8.0 up to 1.9.12_p2-r0: fixed in 1.9.12_p2-r0
—
Alpine:v3.15(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
sudo—
  • 1.8.0 up to 1.9.12_p2-r0: fixed in 1.9.12_p2-r0
—
Debian:10(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
sudo1.8.27-1, 1.8.27-1+deb10u1, 1.8.27-1+deb10u2, 1.8.27-1+deb10u3, 1.8.27-1+deb10u4
  • every version up to 1.8.27-1+deb10u5: fixed in 1.8.27-1+deb10u5
—
Debian:11(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
sudo1.9.5p2-3
  • every version up to 1.9.5p2-3+deb11u1: fixed in 1.9.5p2-3+deb11u1
—
Debian:12(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
sudo—
  • every version up to 1.9.12p2-1: fixed in 1.9.12p2-1
—
Debian:13(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
sudo—
  • every version up to 1.9.12p2-1: fixed in 1.9.12p2-1
—
Debian:14(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
sudo—
  • every version up to 1.9.12p2-1: fixed in 1.9.12p2-1
—

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Additional Vendor Advisories

(16)

Vendors that published advisories for this CVE beyond the curated set above. Broader coverage but minimal per-row detail — click through for the original advisory.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 9× in last 7d / 27× in last 30d)

Each row is a time one of our pipelines fetched, updated or re-scored this CVE. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. An arrow marks a change the record states ("CVSS v3 → 9.1"); EPSS and GHSA rows show the values recorded at that time, not what changed (EPSS values are rounded; hover one for the exact figures). Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 86 of 139 refreshes on record for this CVE.

A repeat, a row identical to one the same pipeline wrote less than 10 seconds earlier, is not a separate refresh and is not counted. 14 repeat rows among the latest 100 are merged into the row they repeat. The 53 oldest rows on record are not shown and were not checked, so the counts can still include repeats.

  1. 2026-10-13 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  2. 2026-10-12 18:36 UTCEG score recompute
  3. 2026-10-12 16:30 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  4. 2026-10-11 21:59 UTCEG score recompute
  5. 2026-10-11 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  6. 2026-10-10 19:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  7. 2026-10-09 20:05 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  8. 2026-10-08 17:05 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  9. 2026-10-07 23:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  10. 2026-10-06 15:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  11. 2026-10-05 17:40 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  12. 2026-10-03 14:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  13. 2026-10-02 16:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  14. 2026-10-01 19:47 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  15. 2026-09-30 16:17 UTCEG score recompute
  16. 2026-09-30 15:01 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  17. 2026-09-26 15:55 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  18. 2026-09-24 14:01 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 99th percentile
  19. 2026-09-23 23:36 UTCOSV refresh
  20. 2026-09-23 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  21. 2026-09-22 14:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  22. 2026-09-19 15:38 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  23. 2026-09-18 19:25 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  24. 2026-09-17 19:24 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  25. 2026-09-16 14:05 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
Show 61 more
  1. 2026-09-16 05:11 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  2. 2026-09-15 03:07 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  3. 2026-09-12 14:58 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  4. 2026-09-08 21:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  5. 2026-09-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  6. 2026-09-05 15:25 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  7. 2026-09-04 17:54 UTCOSV refresh
  8. 2026-09-04 13:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  9. 2026-09-02 14:09 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  10. 2026-09-01 13:51 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  11. 2026-08-30 19:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  12. 2026-08-30 01:19 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  13. 2026-08-28 21:38 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  14. 2026-08-26 14:43 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  15. 2026-08-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  16. 2026-08-24 14:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  17. 2026-08-21 23:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  18. 2026-08-20 22:53 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  19. 2026-08-19 17:01 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  20. 2026-08-18 13:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  21. 2026-08-18 05:04 UTCOSV refresh
  22. 2026-08-17 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  23. 2026-08-16 14:53 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  24. 2026-08-16 02:12 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  25. 2026-08-15 01:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  26. 2026-08-13 21:58 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  27. 2026-08-12 13:48 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  28. 2026-08-08 16:34 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  29. 2026-08-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  30. 2026-08-05 19:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  31. 2026-08-02 23:57 UTCOSV refresh
  32. 2026-08-01 04:13 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  33. 2026-07-30 16:26 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  34. 2026-07-30 01:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  35. 2026-07-28 15:34 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  36. 2026-07-26 14:52 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  37. 2026-07-25 14:16 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  38. 2026-07-24 14:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  39. 2026-07-23 02:19 UTCEG score recompute▲ 0.60
  40. 2026-07-22 23:06 UTCEG score recompute
  41. 2026-07-22 14:06 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  42. 2026-07-20 17:05 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  43. 2026-07-19 14:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  44. 2026-07-19 02:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  45. 2026-07-16 17:01 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  46. 2026-07-16 08:49 UTCOSV refresh
  47. 2026-07-15 16:56 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  48. 2026-07-13 22:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  49. 2026-07-13 06:11 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  50. 2026-07-12 05:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  51. 2026-07-11 08:25 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  52. 2026-07-09 19:08 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  53. 2026-07-06 02:21 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  54. 2026-07-04 06:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  55. 2026-07-02 16:58 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  56. 2026-07-01 15:04 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  57. 2026-06-30 23:21 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  58. 2026-06-28 08:22 UTCOSV refresh
  59. 2026-06-28 04:54 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  60. 2026-06-27 03:07 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile
  61. 2026-06-25 13:48 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 55% · 98th percentile

Publicly available exploits

(9 references)

Public exploit code is referenced for this CVE (1 Metasploit module, 1 Exploit-DB entry, 7 GitHub PoCs). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly.

  • Metasploitexploit/linux/local/sudoedit_bypass_priv_esc✓ verified
    Published May 23, 2023

    Sudoedit Extra Arguments Priv Esc

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCD0rDa4aN919/CVE-2023-22809-Exploiter
    Published Aug 28, 2024
    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCToothless5143/CVE-2023-22809
    Published Aug 6, 2023

    Running this exploit on a vulnerable system allows a local attacker to gain a root shell on the machine.

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCasepsaepdin/CVE-2023-22809
    Published Jul 10, 2023
    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCChan9Yan9/CVE-2023-22809
    Published Jun 20, 2023

    Analysis & Exploit

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCP4x1s/CVE-2023-22809-sudo-POC
    Published Apr 6, 2023

    CVE-2023-22809 Linux Sudo

    Open source ↗
  • Exploit-DBEDB-51217
    Published Apr 3, 2023

    sudo 1.8.0 to 1.9.12p1 - Privilege Escalation

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCM4fiaB0y/CVE-2023-22809
    Published Feb 22, 2023
    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCn3m1sys/CVE-2023-22809-sudoedit-privesc
    Published Jan 21, 2023

    A script to automate privilege escalation with CVE-2023-22809 vulnerability

    Open source ↗

Related CVEs(same product + same vendor + same CWE)

Same vendor

3 shown

redhat:RHSA-2023:0859 · ubuntu:USN-5811-1

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2023-22809?
CVE-2023-22809 is a high-severity vulnerability; its CVE record was published on January 18, 2023. In Sudo before 1.9.12p2, the sudoedit (aka -e) feature mishandles extra arguments passed in the user-provided environment variables (SUDO_EDITOR, VISUAL, and EDITOR), allowing a local attacker to append arbitrary entries to the list of files to process. This can lead to privilege escalation.…
When was the CVE record for CVE-2023-22809 published?
The CVE record for CVE-2023-22809 was published on January 18, 2023. That is the record's publication date; the vulnerability itself may have been made public earlier. EchelonGraph's copy of the record carries a last-modified date of April 4, 2025; the record at its source may have been updated since.
Is CVE-2023-22809 actively exploited?
CVE-2023-22809 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EchelonGraph's EG-KEV model places it in Tier 2 (Weaponized), which is not evidence of exploitation: a Metasploit module exists for it. EchelonGraph does not test whether exploit code works. FIRST EPSS estimates a 55% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (99th percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs).
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-22809?
CVE-2023-22809 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8 (NVD). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 8.4 (HIGH).
How do I remediate CVE-2023-22809?
A fix for CVE-2023-22809 is available: update to the fixed version the vendor names in its advisory. The vendor advisories EchelonGraph has for CVE-2023-22809 are linked in the Vendor Advisories panel on this page.

Dependency Blast Radius

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