Linux sudo CVE-2019-14287 exploit attempt via unusual USER strings

Alerts on sudo events with USER values matching patterns linked to CVE-2019-14287 exploit attempts.

FreeReviewedSigma · Critical · v5

Product: linux
Service: sudo
Author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2026-07-31

ATT&CK techniques

Priv Esc → Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
- T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation
- T1548.003Sudo and Sudo Caching
Defense Evasion
- T1548.003Sudo and Sudo Caching
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule flags sudo activity where the executing USER field matches patterns associated with CVE-2019-14287 exploitation attempts. Attackers may abuse sudo to achieve privilege escalation, and these crafted identifiers are used to trigger vulnerable behavior. It relies on Linux sudo telemetry that includes a USER value for the attempted command execution.

Reporting behind it

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Linux sudo CVE-2019-14287 exploit attempt via unusual USER strings

Pivot detection · T1068 · 9 related

Changelog

v5
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v4
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v3
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v2
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v1
No changelog recorded for this version.2026-07-30

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.

linux-sudo-cve-2019-14287-exploit-attempt-via-suspicious-user-value-patterns-7fcc54cb

title: Linux sudo CVE-2019-14287 exploit attempt via unusual USER strings
id: 2a888fdb-4b0e-4125-ac53-43bfd2609fd2
related:
  - id: f74107df-b6c6-4e80-bf00-4170b658162b
    type: derived
  - id: 7fcc54cb-f27d-4684-84b7-436af096f858
    type: derived
status: test
description: This rule flags sudo activity where the executing USER field matches patterns associated with CVE-2019-14287 exploitation attempts. Attackers may abuse sudo to achieve privilege escalation, and these crafted identifiers are used to trigger vulnerable behavior. It relies on Linux sudo telemetry that includes a USER value for the attempted command execution.
references:
  - https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/14/1
  - https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2019-14287
  - https://twitter.com/matthieugarin/status/1183970598210412546
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules-emerging-threats/2019/Exploits/CVE-2019-14287/lnx_sudo_exploit_cve_2019_14287.yml
author: Florian Roth (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2019-10-15
modified: 2022-11-26
tags:
  - attack.privilege-escalation
  - attack.t1068
  - attack.t1548.003
  - cve.2019-14287
  - detection.emerging-threats
logsource:
  product: linux
  service: sudo
detection:
  selection_user:
    USER:
      - "#-*"
      - "#*4294967295"
  condition: selection_user
falsepositives:
  - Unlikely
level: critical
license: DRL-1.1

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