CVE-2026-109518
APT RCE via hard link reuse
On Debian, Ubuntu, and derivative Linux distributions, an on-path attacker who can manipulate the HTTP traffic (including a malicious mirror or proxy) between an APT client and an archive server triggered by a package install can trick the client into installing an attacker-controlled unverified package and achieve remote code execution with root privileges. The vulnerability is caused by the reuse of hard links and requires the client to follow redirects and retry the download of package files. It requires the client to have a non-zero Acquire::Retries configuration setting; the value 3 is the default starting with Debian 12 (bookworm) and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish), so older releases are unaffected in a default configuration
Fixes and workarounds
No remediation reported in collected sources.
Missing remediation information is not evidence that no patch exists.
Affected products and versions
| Product | Versions | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| APT Debian apt
|
≥ 0; < 1.2.36 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 1.4.0; < 1.4.12 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 1.6.0; < 1.6.19 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 1.8.0; < 1.8.2.4 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 1.8.3; ≤ 1.8.5 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 2.0.0; < 2.0.12 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 2.2.0; < 2.2.5 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 2.4.0; < 2.4.15 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 2.6.0; < 2.6.2 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 2.8.0; < 2.8.4 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 3.0.0; < 3.0.4 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 3.2.0; < 3.2.1 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 3.3.0; < 3.3.6 (affected, dpkg) Other versions: unaffected |
CNA: canonical |
| APT Ubuntu apt
|
≥ 0; < 1.0.1ubuntu2.24+esm4 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 1.2.0; < 1.2.36+esm1 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 1.6.0; < 1.6.19+esm1 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 2.0.0; < 2.0.12+esm1 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 2.4.0; < 2.4.15ubuntu0.1 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 2.8.0; < 2.8.4ubuntu0.1 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 3.2.0; < 3.2.1ubuntu0.1 (affected, dpkg) ≥ 3.3.0; < 3.3.3ubuntu0.1 (affected, dpkg) Other versions: unaffected |
CNA: canonical |
Version ranges are source assertions. Check the vendor advisory and your installed configuration before determining exposure.
CVSS assessments
| Version / score | Vector | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0 / 7.7 high |
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N | CNA: canonical |
Exploit evidence
No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.
References
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/2026/msg00526.htmlCNA: canonical · vendor-advisory
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8996-1CNA: canonical · vendor-advisory
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2026/11/msg00004.htmlADP: CVE
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