Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a local privilege-escalation risk in networkd-dispatcher on Linux. A low-privileged user may be able to win a race and swap a script after it is checked but before it runs. The business risk is host compromise, not remote internet exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate Linux hardening and patch-management item. It matters most where untrusted users have shell access, shared accounts, or workload breakout opportunities. It is less urgent than remotely exploitable flaws.
Technical view
CVE-2022-29800 is a CWE-367 TOCTOU flaw. networkd-dispatcher discovers scripts, checks ownership expectations, and later runs them; the gap creates a race where an attacker can replace a root-trusted script with one not owned by root. CVSS 3.1 is 4.7: local, high complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Linux systems with networkd-dispatcher installed and configured to run dispatcher scripts. The source bundle does not identify exact affected versions, distributions, or default exposure.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as KEV in the supplied data. The available evidence supports local privilege escalation requiring an authenticated low-privileged attacker and a successful race condition, not unauthenticated remote exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is incomplete on affected versions and patch state. Analysis should stay anchored to distro package metadata and vendor advisories. The core issue is script validation separated from script execution, enabling a TOCTOU replacement window.
Mitigation direction
- Check operating-system vendor advisories for networkd-dispatcher updates or backports.
- Patch or upgrade networkd-dispatcher where vendor guidance confirms affected versions.
- Restrict write access to dispatcher script directories and parent paths.
- Review locally added dispatcher scripts for ownership and permission drift.
- Prioritize multi-user Linux hosts and shared development systems.
Validation and detection
- Inventory hosts with networkd-dispatcher installed.
- Record installed package versions and compare them with vendor advisories.
- Check dispatcher script directories for non-root ownership or writable paths.
- Confirm only trusted administrators can modify networkd-dispatcher scripts.
- Document compensating controls where vendor fix status is unclear.
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-367: 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 lookupCVE-2022-29800 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
- 4.7 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N13.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.7MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/04/26/microsoft-finds-new-elevation-of-privilege-linux-vulnerability-nimbuspwn/CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
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.
Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.