CVE-2026-42511
Remote code execution via malicious DHCP options
8.1CVSSHIGH
Description
The BOOTP file field is written to the lease file without escaping embedded double-quotes, allowing injection of arbitrary dhclient.conf directives. When the lease file is subsequently re-parsed by dhclient, e.g., after a system restart, an attacker-controlled field from the lease is passed to dhclient-script(8), which evaluates it. A rogue DHCP server may be able to execute arbirary code as root on a system running dhclient.
CVSS Vector Breakdown
Exploitability
AV:NAttack VectorNetwork
AC:HAttack ComplexityHigh
PR:NPrivileges RequiredNone
UI:NUser InteractionNone
Scope
S:UScopeUnchanged
Impact
C:HConfidentialityHigh
I:HIntegrityHigh
A:HAvailabilityHigh
Weaknesses
Affected Products
Exploitability
Official Patch Available
References
Timeline
Published
Apr 30, 2026
Last Updated
May 1, 2026
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