#VU108998 OS command injection in Dropbear - CVE-2025-47203

Vulnerability identifier: #VU108998

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2025-47203

CWE-ID: CWE-78

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Dropbear
Server applications / Remote management servers, RDP, SSH

Vendor: Matt Johnston

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to improper input validation in dbclient when handling hostname argument. A local user with ability to control the hostname can pass a specially crafted input to the application and execute arbitrary OS commands on the target system.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Dropbear: 2011.54 - 2025.87

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External links
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/05/09/4
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/05/12/6
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/05/13/1
https://github.com/mkj/dropbear/blob/master/CHANGES
https://github.com/mkj/dropbear/blob/master/src/cli-main.c

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.