CUPS fax option values bypass the CVE-2026-34980 control-character sanitizer (incomplete fix)
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OpenPrinting CUPS is an open source printing system for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. Prior to 2.4.20, the cupsdCreateJob option-string builder in scheduler/job.c maps attacker-controlled destination-uri and pre-dial-string values from a configured fax queue to the phone and faxPrefix options. Unlike ordinary IPP job attributes, these mapped fax values bypass the control-character sanitizer and are copied directly into the filter options argument. A user permitted to submit a job can therefore inject control characters into the downstream option stream. The reporter states that a downstream fax filter passing these values to a shell or modem command could execute code as lp, while the maintainer states that CUPS has no confidentiality or integrity impact because the only known code-executing filter is optional Foomatic and addressed separately, leaving possible disruption of the affected queue. This issue is fixed in version 2.4.20.
Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.
No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:
SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.
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