An Ubuntu-specific patch to AccountsService before 23.13.9-8ubuntu7 only partially drops privileges before launching language helper scripts. It changes the effective UID/GID to the target user but leaves the real UID as 0 (root). A shell spawned by a helper script inherits ruid=0 and may reset its effective UID to root, enabling local privilege escalation.
CVE-2026-61897
HIGHPre-NVD 7.87.8—Trending — 4 sources updated this week
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence
Score 7.8 from GitHub Security Advisory (severity: HIGH) published 2026-08-20. a secondary CVSS source baseline 7.8; sources differ by 0.0.
Triggered by: GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
Sources: ghsa, secondary
7.8EG
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: —CVSS: 7.8Exploit: None knownExposed: 0
A fix is available — apply it.
- CVSS v3
- 7.8
- EG Score
- 7.8(high)
- EG Risk
- 40(Track)EG Risk 40/100SSVC: Track
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 computedSeverity78% × 45%Exploitation0% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS PROB
- —
- EPSS %ILE
- —
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
August 20, 2026
Last Modified
August 20, 2026
Advisory Details (2)
Auto-updated Aug 20, 2026🔬 Proof of concept available. Patch available. Sources: ubuntu.
generic🟡 PoC Available
Bug #2157985 “SetLanguage leads to local privilege escalation an...” : Bugs : accountsservice package : Ubuntu
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/accountsservice/+bug/2157985Vendor Advisories for CVE-2026-61897(1)
These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.
Patch Availability(2)
| Vendor / Ecosystem | Fixed in / Patch | Released | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ubuntu | libaccountsservice0 (0.6.40-2ubuntu11.6+esm2) @ xenial | 2026-08-21 | ubuntu |
| ubuntu | libaccountsservice0 (23.13.9-8ubuntu5.2) @ resolute | 2026-08-21 | ubuntu |
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.
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
All Vendor Advisories
(2)
Every vendor that published an advisory referencing this CVE — pulled from our cve_vendor_advisories aggregation. Click any row for the vendor's original advisory page.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 8× in last 7d / 8× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. 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. Most recent first.
- 2026-08-21 04:19 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-21 04:19 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-08-21 04:19 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-08-20 15:27 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-20 15:27 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-08-20 14:42 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-20 14:42 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-08-20 14:41 UTCMITRE cvelistV5first tracked
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2026-61897?
CVE-2026-61897 is a high vulnerability published on August 20, 2026. An Ubuntu-specific patch to AccountsService before 23.13.9-8ubuntu7 only partially drops privileges before launching language helper scripts. It changes the effective UID/GID to the target user but leaves the real UID as 0 (root). A shell spawned by a helper script inherits ruid=0 and may reset its…
When was CVE-2026-61897 disclosed?
CVE-2026-61897 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on August 20, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-61897?
CVE-2026-61897 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2026-61897?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2026-61897, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.
Dependency Blast Radius
Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2026-61897
Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2026-61897?
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