sudo: sudo local privilege escalation via -h/--host argument manipulation (CVE-2025-32462) #shorts

Summary

Welcome to today’s podcast. We’re discussing CVE-2025-32462, a critical local privilege escalation vulnerability in the widely used Sudo utility. Discovered in Sudo versions before 1.9.17p1, this flaw permits authorized users to gain root privileges on unintended machines by abusing the -h/--host argument.

Product details

The vulnerability affects Sudo, authored by Todd Miller. Any deployment running a version less than 1.9.17p1—including the custom 1.8.8 release—on Linux or macOS is impacted. Sudo is installed by default on most UNIX-like systems and grants controlled root‐level command execution.

Vulnerability type summary

CVE-2025-32462 is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization. The flaw arises when a sudoers file includes a host entry that doesn’t match the current host or the special ALL token. This logic gap lets users bypass host restrictions.

Details of the vulnerability

When invoking Sudo with the -h or --host switch, Sudo incorrectly verifies whether the specified host in the sudoers policy matches the machine name or the ALL wildcard. If the host entry is neither of these, the check fails to block the user, allowing them to execute commands as root on any host listed—even those they shouldn’t access. Attackers with valid sudo rights can chain this flaw into a full root shell locally. Proof‐of‐concept exploits emerged within days of the June 30, 2025 disclosure, and the issue is actively targeted in penetration tests.

Conclusion

To mitigate CVE-2025-32462, immediately upgrade Sudo to version 1.9.17p1 or later on all impacted systems. System administrators should audit sudoers entries to ensure host specifications are accurate. Applying this urgent patch protects against local privilege escalation and maintains the principle of least privilege across your infrastructure.

Watch the full video on YouTube: CVE-2025-32462

Remediation and exploitation details

This chain involves the following actors

  • Local user: Potential attacker with a standard account
  • System administrator: Defender responsible for patching and configuration

This following systems are involved

  • sudo (Command-launching program that grants elevated privileges): Mediates user commands and enforces rules in the sudoers file
  • Target host (Physical or virtual machine running sudo and user sessions): Execution environment where privilege escalation occurs

Attack entry point

  • Host argument: The –h or --host option in sudo that names the machine where a command should run

Remediation actions

System administrator
Upgrade sudo to version 1.9.17p1 or later
sudo on all affected hosts
System administrator
Audit and tighten host specifications in the sudoers file to only required values
sudo configuration

Exploitation actions

Configuration enumeration

Local user
Examine the sudoers configuration for entries that list a host other than ALL or the local machine
Target host
Examples:
  • grep -E 'Host_Name' /etc/sudoers /etc/sudoers.d/*

Argument manipulation

Local user
Invoke sudo with the –h flag set to that remote or mismatched host value
sudo
Examples:
  • sudo -h remotehost id

Bypass of host restriction

Local user
Observe that sudo skips enforcement of the host check and grants elevated rights
sudo
Examples:
  • whoami
  • id

Local privilege escalation

Local user
Spawn an interactive root shell or execute arbitrary commands as root
sudo
Examples:
  • sudo -h remotehost /bin/bash

Related Content

NOTE: The following related content has not been vetted and may be unsafe.

CVE database technical details

CVE ID
CVE-2025-32462
Description
Sudo before 1.9.17p1, when used with a sudoers file that specifies a host that is neither the current host nor ALL, allows listed users to execute commands on unintended machines.
Provider
mitre
CWE / problem types
CWE-863 Incorrect Authorization
Affected Software Versions
Sudo project:Sudo:[{'lessThan': '1.9.17p1', 'status': 'affected', 'version': '1.8.8', 'versionType': 'custom'}]
Date Published
2025-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
Last Updated
2025-07-01T13:25:41.728Z