CVE-2026-54228: abrt-dbus Race Condition Vulnerability

CVE-2026-54228 Overview

CVE-2026-54228 is a time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the abrt-dbus D-Bus service's SetElement method. The flaw exists in the window between dump directory creation and post-create event execution. Any local user can call SetElement to write arbitrary text files into the root-owned dump directory. This bypasses package validation and allows crashes of unpackaged binaries to survive post-create processing. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-367 and affects systems running the Automatic Bug Reporting Tool (ABRT) daemon.

Critical Impact
A local, low-privileged attacker can manipulate root-owned crash dump directories, bypass ABRT's package validation, and influence post-create event processing on the host.

Affected Products

ABRT (Automatic Bug Reporting Tool) abrt-dbus D-Bus service
Red Hat Enterprise Linux distributions shipping abrt-dbus (see Red Hat CVE Advisory)
Downstream distributions packaging the vulnerable abrt-dbus component

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-13 - CVE-2026-54228 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-54228

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the SetElement method exposed by the abrt-dbus D-Bus service. ABRT creates a dump directory when a crash occurs and then executes post-create event handlers that validate whether the crashing binary belongs to a known package. Between these two steps, the directory is briefly accessible to local D-Bus callers. An attacker who calls SetElement during that window can write attacker-controlled text files into the root-owned dump directory. The result is that crashes of unpackaged or untrusted binaries can survive ABRT's validation logic and continue through reporting workflows that assume validated input.

Root Cause

The root cause is a missing atomic check between dump directory creation and post-create event execution. The SetElement method validates state at one point in time but operates on the directory at a later point. This classic TOCTOU pattern allows a local attacker to inject content between the check and the use. ABRT's package validation depends on the integrity of dump directory contents, which the race condition undermines.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access with low privileges. The attacker must hold a valid session capable of issuing D-Bus method calls to abrt-dbus. No user interaction is required. The attacker triggers or waits for a crash to occur, then races the SetElement call against the post-create event handler. Successful exploitation lets the attacker influence root-owned files and bypass ABRT's controls over which crashes are processed and reported. Refer to the Red Hat Bug Report for upstream technical details.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available for this advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-54228

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected text files appearing inside /var/spool/abrt/ dump directories with non-standard names or content not produced by ABRT itself.
Dump directories belonging to crashes of binaries that are not installed via the system package manager being retained after post-create processing.
Unusual D-Bus traffic to the org.freedesktop.problems or com.redhat.problems.configuration interfaces invoking SetElement from non-root UIDs.

Detection Strategies

Audit D-Bus method invocations targeting abrt-dbus and alert on SetElement calls from unprivileged users in close temporal proximity to crash events.
Monitor abrtd and abrt-dbus journal entries for repeated SetElement activity correlated with new dump directories.
Use file integrity monitoring on /var/spool/abrt/ to detect writes from non-ABRT processes.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward abrtd, abrt-dbus, and auditd logs to a centralized SIEM and build correlation rules for race-condition patterns between directory creation and SetElement calls.
Track process ancestry for any binary writing into ABRT dump directories and flag writes that do not originate from abrtd.
Baseline the volume of crash dumps per host and alert on anomalous spikes that may indicate exploitation attempts.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-54228

Immediate Actions Required

Apply vendor updates for abrt, abrt-dbus, and related packages as soon as they are available from your distribution.
Restrict local shell and D-Bus session access on multi-user systems until patches are deployed.
Review and reduce membership of groups that can interact with the abrt-dbus service.

Patch Information

Consult the Red Hat CVE Advisory for the authoritative list of fixed package versions and errata. Apply the corresponding updates through your distribution's package manager once they are released. Track the Red Hat Bug Report for upstream fix status.

Workarounds

Stop and disable the abrt-dbus service on systems where automatic crash reporting is not required: systemctl disable --now abrt-dbus.
Mask ABRT-related units on shared hosts where local users could race the SetElement method.
Tighten D-Bus policy to limit which UIDs can call methods on the abrt-dbus interface until patches are in place.

bash

# Configuration example: disable abrt-dbus until patched
sudo systemctl stop abrt-dbus.service
sudo systemctl disable abrt-dbus.service
sudo systemctl mask abrt-dbus.service

# Verify the service is inactive
systemctl status abrt-dbus.service