# CVE-2026-61898: accountsservice: The Ubuntu-specific language helper scripts (save-to-pam-env, update-langlist) shipped with accountsservice before 23...

CVE-2026-61898 is fixed in 3 products on 1 platform, first by accountsservice 23.13.9-8ubuntu5.2, released July 21, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-61898
- Priority: High
- CVSS: n/a (High)
- EPSS: 0.0019
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Jul 21, 2026

## Description

The Ubuntu-specific language helper scripts (save-to-pam-env, update-langlist) shipped with accountsservice before 23.13.9-8ubuntu7 treat the user-controlled LANGUAGE entry in ~/.pam_environment as trusted input. The value is interpolated unescaped into a GNU sed replacement expression, allowing an attacker to inject a sed 'e' flag and arbitrary shell commands that execute with the privileges of the AccountsService helper process (real UID 0) via the SetLanguage D-Bus method.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | accountsservice Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3+esm2 | [accountsservice 0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3+esm2](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-accountsservice-0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3-esm2.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | accountsservice Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (focal) | 0.6.55-0ubuntu12~20.04.7+esm1 | [accountsservice 0.6.55-0ubuntu12~20.04.7+esm1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-focal-accountsservice-0.6.55-0ubuntu12-20.04.7-esm1.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | accountsservice Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) | 22.07.5-2ubuntu1.6 | [accountsservice 22.07.5-2ubuntu1.6](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-jammy-accountsservice-22.07.5-2ubuntu1.6.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | accountsservice Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS (noble) | 23.13.9-2ubuntu6.1 | [accountsservice 23.13.9-2ubuntu6.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-noble-accountsservice-23.13.9-2ubuntu6.1.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | accountsservice Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (resolute) | 23.13.9-8ubuntu5.2 | [accountsservice 23.13.9-8ubuntu5.2](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-resolute-accountsservice-23.13.9-8ubuntu5.2.md) | Jul 21, 2026 |
| Linux | gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3+esm2 | [gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3+esm2](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0-0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3-esm2.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (focal) | 0.6.55-0ubuntu12~20.04.7+esm1 | [gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 0.6.55-0ubuntu12~20.04.7+esm1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-focal-gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0-0.6.55-0ubuntu12-20.04.7-esm1.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) | 22.07.5-2ubuntu1.6 | [gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 22.07.5-2ubuntu1.6](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-jammy-gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0-22.07.5-2ubuntu1.6.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS (noble) | 23.13.9-2ubuntu6.1 | [gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 23.13.9-2ubuntu6.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-noble-gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0-23.13.9-2ubuntu6.1.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (resolute) | 23.13.9-8ubuntu5.2 | [gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 23.13.9-8ubuntu5.2](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-resolute-gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0-23.13.9-8ubuntu5.2.md) | Jul 21, 2026 |
| Linux | libaccountsservice0 Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3+esm2 | [libaccountsservice0 0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3+esm2](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-libaccountsservice0-0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3-esm2.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | libaccountsservice0 Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (focal) | 0.6.55-0ubuntu12~20.04.7+esm1 | [libaccountsservice0 0.6.55-0ubuntu12~20.04.7+esm1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-focal-libaccountsservice0-0.6.55-0ubuntu12-20.04.7-esm1.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | libaccountsservice0 Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) | 22.07.5-2ubuntu1.6 | [libaccountsservice0 22.07.5-2ubuntu1.6](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-jammy-libaccountsservice0-22.07.5-2ubuntu1.6.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | libaccountsservice0 Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS (noble) | 23.13.9-2ubuntu6.1 | [libaccountsservice0 23.13.9-2ubuntu6.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-noble-libaccountsservice0-23.13.9-2ubuntu6.1.md) | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Linux | libaccountsservice0 Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (resolute) | 23.13.9-8ubuntu5.2 | [libaccountsservice0 23.13.9-8ubuntu5.2](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-resolute-libaccountsservice0-23.13.9-8ubuntu5.2.md) | Jul 21, 2026 |

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Data as of 2026-11-08T13:06:02Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo

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