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Ubuntu 26.04 24.04 Socat Critical Remote Execution Local File Overwrite

Linuxsecurity •LinuxSecurity Advisories • July 6, 2026

Several security issues were fixed in socat. Software Description: - socat: multipurpose relay for bidirectional data transfer Details: It was discovered that socat incorrectly handled the SOCKS5 proxy server parser. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2026-56123) It was discovered that socat incorrectly handled a sample script. A local attacker could possibly use this issue to overwrite arbitrary files. This issue only affected Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. (CVE-2024-54661)

Several security issues were fixed in socat.

Software Description:

- socat: multipurpose relay for bidirectional data transfer

It was discovered that socat incorrectly handled the SOCKS5 proxy server

parser. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to execute

arbitrary code. (CVE-2026-56123)

It was discovered that socat incorrectly handled a sample script. A local

attacker could possibly use this issue to overwrite arbitrary files. This

issue only affected Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. (CVE-2024-54661)

The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package versions: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS socat 1.8.1.1-1ubuntu0.1 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS socat 1.8.0.0-4ubuntu0.1 In general, a standard system update will make all the necessary changes.

CVE-2024-54661, CVE-2026-56123

Ubuntu Security Notice USN-8511-1

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This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

Critical Vulnerabilities in Socat Affecting Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Two significant vulnerabilities were discovered in the socat utility, affecting Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. CVE-2026-56123 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an improperly handled SOCKS5 proxy server parser. CVE-2024-54661 permits local attackers to overwrite arbitrary files due to incorrect handling of a sample script. Both vulnerabilities pose serious risks, especially to systems running the affected Ubuntu version. The issues were published on June 25, 2026, and December 4, 2024, respectively. Users are advised to update their systems to mitigate these risks. Ubuntu Pro offers ten-year security coverage for affected packages. A standard system update will apply the necessary fixes. 2 sources 71

Extracted Entities

Ubuntu 26.04 24.04 Socat Critical Remote Execution Local File Overwrite

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Extracted Entities

Companies (1)

CVEs (2)

CWE Weaknesses (1)

IP Addresses (1)