CVE-2026-44944 in open-iscsi
Summary
by MITRE • 07/29/2026
An Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in open-iscsi allows unprivilidged local users to use the isscsiuio control socket.
This issue affects open-iscsi: from ? through 668ca1df9c9a1e9bdd5c999ae1d67c9c8909237e.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2026
The vulnerability described represents a critical authorization flaw in the open-iscsi software implementation that enables unprivileged local users to exploit the iscsiuio control socket for unauthorized operations. This issue stems from insufficient access controls within the iSCSI user space interface component, which is designed to facilitate communication between the iSCSI daemon and user-space applications. The affected version range indicates this flaw exists across multiple commits in the open-iscsi codebase, suggesting it has been present for an extended period and potentially affects a wide deployment base.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under CWE-284 which specifically addresses improper access control mechanisms in software systems. The iscsiuio control socket serves as a communication endpoint that should typically require elevated privileges or specific authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized manipulation. However, the implementation fails to properly validate user permissions before allowing access to these control interfaces. This misconfiguration allows local attackers who do not possess administrative privileges to establish connections to the socket and potentially execute malicious commands or modify system configurations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for systems utilizing open-iscsi for storage connectivity. Local users could exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to iSCSI configuration parameters, potentially leading to storage redirection attacks, data exfiltration attempts, or disruption of storage services. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires only local system access, making it accessible through various compromise scenarios such as credential theft, privilege escalation attempts, or exploitation of other local vulnerabilities. This flaw essentially undermines the security boundaries that should exist between different user contexts within the iSCSI subsystem.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve applying the patched version of open-iscsi that addresses the authorization checking mechanism in the iscsiuio control socket implementation. System administrators should prioritize patching affected installations as a critical security measure, particularly in environments where untrusted local users might exist on systems running iSCSI services. Additionally, implementing proper network segmentation and access controls around iSCSI storage networks can help reduce the potential impact of such local privilege escalation attacks. Organizations should also consider monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to iSCSI control interfaces and implementing least-privilege principles for iSCSI service accounts to minimize the damage that could result from successful exploitation of this vulnerability. This issue aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers local privilege escalation through improper access control mechanisms in system components.