CVE-2020-21583
An issue was discovered in hwclock.13-v2.27 allows attackers to gain escalated privlidges or...
An issue was discovered in hwclock.13-v2.27 allows attackers to gain escalated privlidges or execute arbitrary commands via the path parameter when setting the date.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- High
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
An issue was discovered in hwclock.13-v2.27 allows attackers to gain escalated privlidges or execute arbitrary commands via the path parameter when setting the date.
- Record
CVE-2020-21583- CVSS 3.1
- 6.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-78
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
An issue was discovered in hwclock.13-v2.27 allows attackers to gain escalated privlidges or execute arbitrary commands via the path parameter when setting the date.
- Record
CVE-2020-21583- Weakness
- CWE-78
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-14351 No score
An issue was discovered in hwclock.13-v2.27 allows attackers to gain escalated privlidges or execute arbitrary commands via the path parameter when setting the date.
- Record
EUVD-2020-14351- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-c5mr-x8m3-hpc9
An issue was discovered in hwclock.13-v2.27 allows attackers to gain escalated privlidges or...
An issue was discovered in hwclock.13-v2.27 allows attackers to gain escalated privlidges or execute arbitrary commands via the path parameter when setting the date.
- Record
GHSA-c5mr-x8m3-hpc9- CVSS 3.1
- 6.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-78
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
An issue was discovered in hwclock.13-v2.27 allows attackers to gain escalated privlidges or execute arbitrary commands via the path parameter when setting the date.
- Record
CVE-2020-21583- CVSS 3.1
- 6.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2020-21583
An issue was discovered in hwclock.13-v2.27 allows attackers to gain escalated privlidges or execute arbitrary commands via the path parameter when setting the date.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2020-21583- CVSS 3.1
- 6.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2020-21583
An issue was discovered in hwclock.13-v2.27 allows attackers to gain escalated privlidges or execute arbitrary commands via the path parameter when setting the date.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2020-21583- CVSS 3.1
- 6.7 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
util-linuxDebian:12 |
before 2.27-1 | 2.27-1 |
util-linuxDebian:13 |
before 2.27-1 | 2.27-1 |
util-linuxDebian:14 |
before 2.27-1 | 2.27-1 |
util-linuxUbuntu:14.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 2.20.1-5.1ubuntu92.20.1-5.1ubuntu102.20.1-5.1ubuntu112.20.1-5.1ubuntu122.20.1-5.1ubuntu13 Show 14 moreShow less2.20.1-5.1ubuntu142.20.1-5.1ubuntu152.20.1-5.1ubuntu162.20.1-5.1ubuntu172.20.1-5.1ubuntu182.20.1-5.1ubuntu192.20.1-5.1ubuntu202.20.1-5.1ubuntu20.12.20.1-5.1ubuntu20.22.20.1-5.1ubuntu20.32.20.1-5.1ubuntu20.42.20.1-5.1ubuntu20.62.20.1-5.1ubuntu20.72.20.1-5.1ubuntu20.9 |
None known |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2020-21583 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.7) in Kernel Util-linux, published August 22, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.55%, the 46th percentile. Fixed in util-linux 2.27-1.
References
bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=786804
packetstormsecurity.com/files/132061/hwclock-Privilege-Escalation.html
security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20241220-0006
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-21583
github.com/advisories/GHSA-c5mr-x8m3-hpc9
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2020-21583
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2020-21583
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-21583