CVE-2024-48990: needrestart vulnerability
Advisory generated from the CVE record, CISA, Exploit Observer and VEDAS: what it is, whether it is exploited, who is affected, and how to fix and detect it.
Generated by VEDAS. Scores as of 2026-11-11 15:49 UTC. Rebuilt every few hours from cve-scores, CISA KEV and vedas-signatures. How this works and its limits.
What it is
Qualys discovered that needrestart, before version 3.8, allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code as root by tricking needrestart into running the Python interpreter with an attacker-controlled PYTHONPATH environment variable.
Description quoted from the CVE record (assigned by canonical, published 2024-11-19).
Weakness: CWE-427 Uncontrolled Search Path Element
How it can be exploited
Exploitable with local access with low attack complexity needing low privileges and no user interaction. Impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high. CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CISA assessment (SSVC): CISA has no evidence of exploitation. Automatable: no. Technical impact: total.
Public exploit evidence (Exploit Observer)
Exploit Observer found 27 code repositories and 4 research write-ups naming this CVE.
Code repositories that name a CVE are often scanners, copies or fakes, and some are malware. Read the code before running anything.
See all 40 references on Exploit Observer
Live scores
- EPSS
- 0.292
likely to be attacked soon - VEDAS
- 0.962
strong exploit evidence - On CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Detection rule
- No public rule yet
Who is affected
| Product | Affected | Not affected |
|---|---|---|
| needrestart | before 3.8 | Not stated |
Version ranges exactly as the CVE record states them. “Before X” means X is the first fixed version.
How to fix it
Fixed versions stated in the CVE record: 3.8.
Vendor guidance:
How to detect it
There is no open VEDAS detection rule for this bug yet. It is listed on the detection gaps page if CISA has confirmed attacks.
References
Vendor advisories and patches
Technical analysis and advisories
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-48990 (issue-tracking)
- https://www.qualys.com/2024/11/19/needrestart/needrestart.txt (third-party-advisory)
Other references
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/11/19/1
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Nov/17
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/11/msg00014.html
Other databases
Where this comes from
This advisory is generated automatically by VEDAS from: CVE.org record, cve-scores (EPSS and VEDAS), Exploit Observer. Text in quotes is reproduced from the source; everything else is a fixed template filled with source fields. Nothing here is written by a language model. Check the vendor advisory before acting, and read how VEDAS and Exploit Observer work, and their limits.
Supporting partners
