CVE Intelligence
Low Access control

CVE-2021-25317 — cups: ownership of /var/log/cups allows the lp user to create files as root

A Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability in the packaging of cups of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11-SP4-LTSS, SUSE Manager Server 4.0, SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 9; openSUSE Leap 15.2, Factory allows local attackers with control of the lp users to create files as root with 0644 permissions without the ability to set the content. This issue affects: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11-SP4-LTSS cups versions prior to 1.3.9. SUSE Manager Server 4.0 cups versions prior to 2.2.7. SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 9 cups versions prior to 1.7.5. openSUSE Leap 15.2 cups versions prior to 2.2.7. openSUSE Factory cups version 2.3.3op2-2.1 and prior versions.

Published May 5, 2021 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: suse

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.3% (30-day exploitation probability)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.27%
ahead of 18% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
Fedoraproject
Fedora and 6 more
CVSS base
3.3
Low · 4 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Partial
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Fedoraproject Fedora, Opensuse Factory, openSUSE openSUSE Leap 15.2…).
  2. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (access control), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Fedoraproject Fedora version 32version 33version 34 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database
Opensuse Factory ≥ cups and ≤ 2.3.3op2-2.1 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
openSUSE openSUSE Leap 15.2 ≥ cups and < 2.2.7 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
SUSE Cups < 1.3.9< 2.2.7< 1.7.5≤ 2.3.3op2-2.1 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database
SUSE SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11-SP4-LTSS ≥ cups and < 1.3.9 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
SUSE SUSE Manager Server 4.0 ≥ cups and < 2.2.7 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
SUSE SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 9 ≥ cups and < 1.7.5 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
3.3 CVSS 3.1 Low 1.8 1.4 meissner@suse.de via NIST National Vulnerability Database
3.3 CVSS 3.1 Low 1.8 1.4 nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
3.3 CVSS 3.1 Low — — GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories
3.3 CVSS 3.1 Low — — suse via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
2.1 CVSS 2.0 Low 3.9 2.9 nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-276 · Incorrect Default Permissions

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.27%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
  • Audit administrative actions and access to resources outside each user’s normal pattern.
endpoint telemetry (EDR)authentication logsapplication logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · suse/suse linux enterprise server 11-sp4-ltss, suse/suse manager server 4.0, suse/suse openstack cloud crowbar 9, opensu
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 3.3
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Modified
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • 2021
  • CVE published
    May 5, 2021 · suse

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

12 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Fedoraproject
every CVE for this vendor
Access control
same class
CWE-276
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-54230 Abrt: event handler scripts follow symlinks when writing output files, allowing arbitrary file overwrites Jun 13, 2026
  • CVE-2026-54231 Abrt: unsanitized systemd journal content written to dump directory files enables content injection Jun 13, 2026
  • CVE-2026-35093 Libinput: libinput: unauthorized code execution and information disclosure through lua bytecode plugins Apr 1, 2026
  • CVE-2026-35094 Libinput: libinput: information disclosure via dangling pointer in lua plugin handling Apr 1, 2026
  • CVE-2024-4577 PHP-CGI OS Command Injection Vulnerability KEV Jun 9, 2024
  • CVE-2024-5274 Google Chromium V8 Type Confusion Vulnerability KEV May 28, 2024

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2021-25317 is "cups: ownership of /var/log/cups allows the lp user to create files as root", rated Low. It affects Fedora (Fedoraproject); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 3.3 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.27% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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