Subscription-manager: inadequate authorization of com.redhat.rhsm1 d-bus interface allows local users to modify configuration

Description

A vulnerability was found in subscription-manager that allows local privilege escalation due to inadequate authorization. The D-Bus interface com.redhat.RHSM1 exposes a significant number of methods to all users that could change the state of the registration. By using the com.redhat.RHSM1.Config.SetAll() method, a low-privileged local user could tamper with the state of the registration, by unregistering the system or by changing the current entitlements. This flaw allows an attacker to set arbitrary configuration directives for /etc/rhsm/rhsm.conf, which can be abused to cause a local privilege escalation to an unconfined root.

Scores

EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)

0.24% · top 85% of all CVEs (6 Nov 2026)

CISA SSVC

Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total

The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.8.

Weakness

• CWE-285: Improper Authorization (opens in a new tab)All about CWE-285 and its CVEs
• CWE-863 (opens in a new tab)All about CWE-863 and its CVEs

Affected products

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

  • unaffected 0:1.24.52-2.el7_9 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

  • unaffected 0:1.28.36-3.el8_8 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

  • unaffected 0:1.28.36-3.el8_8 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.1 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 0:1.25.17.1-2.el8_1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Advanced Update Support

  • unaffected 0:1.26.22-2.el8_2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Telecommunications Update Service

  • unaffected 0:1.26.22-2.el8_2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 0:1.26.22-2.el8_2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support

  • unaffected 0:1.28.13-7.el8_4 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Telecommunications Update Service

  • unaffected 0:1.28.13-7.el8_4 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 0:1.28.13-7.el8_4 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 0:1.28.29.1-2.el8_6 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

  • unaffected 0:1.29.33.1-2.el9_2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 0:1.29.26.2-2.el9_0 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

  All versions: unaffected

What to do

Workaround: A workaround is to mask rhsm.service using: ~~~ systemctl mask rhsm.service ~~~ When the rhsm.service is masked, then no D-Bus call cannot trigger the service and all D-Bus calls will be terminated with error: "Call failed: Could not activate remote peer." But then all applications using D-Bus API will not work until you unmask the service using: "systemctl unmask rhsm.service"

References (12)

• RHSA-2023:4701 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:4702 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:4703 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:4704 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:4705 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:4706 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:4707 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:4708 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-3899 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHBZ#2225407 (opens in a new tab)issue-trackingx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/FJHKSBBZRDFOBNDU35FUKMYQIQYT6UJQ/ (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
• https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/ZDIHGNLS3TZVX7X2F735OKI4KXPY4AH6/ (opens in a new tab)x_transferred

Sources

The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.

• CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
• CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
• NVD (opens in a new tab)
• FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
• OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
• GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
• CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)

Badge for a README or a ticket

[![CVE-2023-3899](https://trackcve.app/badge/CVE-2023-3899.svg)](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2023-3899)

Record last updated 7 Nov 2026, 11:32 UTC.