CVE-2026-29122: IDC SFX2100 Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CVE-2026-29122 Overview

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the International Data Casting (IDC) SFX2100 satellite receiver due to an insecure setuid configuration on the /bin/date utility. The binary is installed with the setuid bit set, which grants elevated privileges to any local user who can execute it. By leveraging techniques documented in GTFObins, an attacker can perform privileged file reads as the root user on the local file system, allowing access to sensitive files such as /etc/shadow or other configuration files containing secrets and credentials.

Critical Impact

Local attackers can read any root-protected files on the system, including password hashes in /etc/shadow and sensitive configuration files, potentially leading to full system compromise.

Affected Products

• International Data Casting (IDC) SFX2100 Satellite Receiver

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-05 - CVE CVE-2026-29122 published to NVD
• 2026-03-05 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-29122

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management). The core issue stems from an insecure deployment configuration where the /bin/date binary is installed with the setuid bit enabled. When a binary has the setuid bit set, it executes with the permissions of the file owner (in this case, root) rather than the user running it.

The date command, while seemingly innocuous, can be abused to read arbitrary files when it has elevated privileges. GTFObins documents this technique, demonstrating how the binary can be weaponized for privileged file reads. An attacker with local access to the device can exploit this misconfiguration without any additional privileges or complex attack chains.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is an improper privilege management decision during the firmware build or deployment process. The /bin/date utility was configured with the setuid bit (chmod u+s or equivalent), granting it root execution privileges. This configuration is unnecessary for the date command's legitimate functionality and creates a significant security risk by enabling privilege escalation through GTFObins-style exploitation techniques.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access to the SFX2100 satellite receiver. An attacker with a low-privileged user account can exploit the setuid-enabled /bin/date binary to read files that would normally require root permissions.

The exploitation follows GTFObins methodology for the date command:

1. The attacker identifies that /bin/date has the setuid bit set
2. Using the date command's file reading capabilities with special formatting options, the attacker can access arbitrary files
3. The command executes with root privileges due to the setuid bit
4. Sensitive files like /etc/shadow become readable, exposing password hashes and other critical system information

For detailed exploitation techniques, refer to the GTFObins Date Command Guide and the Abdul MHS Blog SFX2100 Vulnerabilities writeup.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-29122

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual access patterns to /bin/date binary from non-privileged user accounts
• Attempts to read sensitive files like /etc/shadow, /etc/passwd, or configuration files through the date command
• Process execution logs showing /bin/date being called with file path arguments
• Audit logs indicating failed or successful reads of protected system files

Detection Strategies

• Monitor process execution for /bin/date commands with suspicious arguments or file path parameters
• Implement file integrity monitoring (FIM) on sensitive system files to detect unauthorized access attempts
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions that can identify GTFObins-style privilege escalation patterns
• Enable comprehensive auditd rules to log all setuid binary executions on the system

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure syslog or centralized logging to capture all executions of setuid binaries
• Establish baseline behavior for the date command and alert on deviations
• Monitor for lateral movement attempts following successful privilege escalation
• Implement real-time alerting for access attempts to sensitive credential files

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-29122

Immediate Actions Required

• Audit the SFX2100 device for the setuid bit on /bin/date using ls -la /bin/date
• Remove the setuid bit from the /bin/date binary immediately if it is not required for device functionality
• Restrict local user access to the device to authorized personnel only
• Review all other binaries on the system for unnecessary setuid/setgid configurations

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no vendor patch information is available from International Data Casting. Organizations should contact the vendor directly for firmware updates that address this misconfiguration. In the meantime, apply the workarounds listed below to reduce risk exposure.

Workarounds

• Remove the setuid bit from /bin/date by executing chmod u-s /bin/date as root
• Implement strict access controls to limit local shell access on the SFX2100 device
• Deploy network segmentation to isolate satellite receiver infrastructure from general user networks
• Enable comprehensive logging and monitoring to detect exploitation attempts

# Remove setuid bit from /bin/date
chmod u-s /bin/date

# Verify the change
ls -la /bin/date
# Should show -rwxr-xr-x instead of -rwsr-xr-x