Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-31998 is a local privilege escalation in SUSE/openSUSE packaging for the inn news server package. On affected systems, a local attacker tied to the news user could escalate to root. It is not described as remotely exploitable.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted hygiene item, not an internet-wide emergency. Prioritize affected legacy SUSE/openSUSE systems, especially shared servers or systems where the news user could be reached through other weaknesses.
Technical view
The issue is classified as CWE-276, incorrect default permissions. The CVE title states inn %post calls a user-owned file, enabling escalation from the news user to root on specified SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and openSUSE inn package versions.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to systems running affected inn packages on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11-SP3, openSUSE Backports SLE-15-SP2, or openSUSE Leap 15.2. Organizations not using inn or these platforms are unlikely to be affected.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The vulnerability requires local context and is primarily relevant after local access or compromise of the news user.
Researcher notes
The available evidence identifies package permission behavior and affected version ranges, but the bundle does not include a detailed advisory, exploit status, or complete patch metadata. Avoid assuming broader Linux distribution impact without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Update affected inn packages using SUSE or openSUSE vendor channels.
- For openSUSE targets, ensure inn is not older than version 2.6.2.
- For SLES 11-SP3, check SUSE guidance for the fixed inn build.
- Remove or disable inn where it is not business-required.
- Restrict local access to systems running the affected package.
Validation and detection
- Inventory SUSE and openSUSE hosts for installed inn packages.
- Compare installed inn versions against the affected versions in the CVE record.
- Confirm whether the host is SLES 11-SP3, Backports SLE-15-SP2, or Leap 15.2.
- Review package update history for vendor security fixes.
- Check SUSE Bugzilla or vendor advisories for environment-specific remediation details.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-276: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-31998 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N2.54.2Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.8MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1182321CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Incorrect Default Permissions
Incorrect Default Permissions represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.