• Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
MUST READ

Cisco confirms active exploitation of ISE and ISE-PIC flaws

 | 

SharePoint under fire: new ToolShell attacks target enterprises

 | 

CrushFTP zero-day actively exploited at least since July 18

 | 

Hardcoded credentials found in HPE Aruba Instant On Wi-Fi devices

 | 

MuddyWater deploys new DCHSpy variants amid Iran-Israel conflict

 | 

U.S. CISA urges to immediately patch Microsoft SharePoint flaw adding it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Microsoft issues emergency patches for SharePoint zero-days exploited in "ToolShell" attacks

 | 

SharePoint zero-day CVE-2025-53770 actively exploited in the wild

 | 

Singapore warns China-linked group UNC3886 targets its critical infrastructure

 | 

U.S. CISA adds Fortinet FortiWeb flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 54

 | 

Security Affairs newsletter Round 533 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

 | 

Radiology Associates of Richmond data breach impacts 1.4 million people

 | 

Fortinet FortiWeb flaw CVE-2025-25257 exploited hours after PoC release

 | 

Authorities released free decryptor for Phobos and 8base ransomware

 | 

Anne Arundel Dermatology data breach impacts 1.9 million people

 | 

LameHug: first AI-Powered malware linked to Russia’s APT28

 | 

5 Features Every AI-Powered SOC Platform Needs in 2025

 | 

Broadcom patches critical VMware flaws exploited at Pwn2Own Berlin 2025

 | 

Stormous Ransomware gang targets North Country HealthCare, claims 600K patient data stolen

 | 
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Hacking
  • Security
  • Abusing the Ubuntu ‘command-not-found’ utility to install malicious packages

Abusing the Ubuntu ‘command-not-found’ utility to install malicious packages

Pierluigi Paganini February 14, 2024

Researchers reported that attackers can exploit the ‘command-not-found’ utility to trick users into installing rogue packages on Ubuntu systems.

Cybersecurity researchers from cloud security firm Aqua discovered that it is possible to abuse, the popular utility ‘called ‘command-not-found’ that can lead to deceptive recommendations of malicious packages.

“Aqua Nautilus researchers have identified a security issue that arises from the interaction between Ubuntu’s command-not-found package and the snap package repository.” reads the report published by Aqua. “While command-not-found serves as a convenient tool for suggesting installations for uninstalled commands, it can be inadvertently manipulated by attackers through the snap repository, leading to deceptive recommendations of malicious packages.”

The default installation of Ubuntu includes the command-not-found package, it provides suggestions for package installations when users attempt to execute a command in Bash or Zsh that is not available on their system. The command relies on the implementation of the command_not_found_handle function, which Bash invokes when encountering an unrecognized command.

The package provides recommendations for both APT and snap packages. For example, if a user tries to execute “ifconfig” and it’s not installed, the package will suggest installing “net-tools” through apt.

The utility uses a local database located at /var/lib/command-not-found/commands.db to link commands to their corresponding APT packages.

An attacker can claim a Snap name associated with a package for which the maintainers haven’t yet claimed the Snap name. Then the attacker can register a snap name and the upload of a dummy “rogue” package.

“The maintainers of the jupyter-notebook APT package had not claimed the corresponding snap name. This oversight left a window of opportunity for an attacker to claim it and upload a malicious snap named jupyter-notebook.” reads the analysis published by Aqua. “We can observe that the command-not-found utility suggests the snap package first, even before the original APT package. This behavior could potentially mislead users into installing the snap package.”

command-not-found package attack

Moreover, the researchers discovered that up to 26% of commands linked to APT (Advanced Package Tool) packages may be exposed to impersonation. This vulnerability could expose users to supply chain attacks impacting both Linux users and Windows systems running WSL.

The researchers also warn of typosquatting attacks in which attackers requesting commands with typographical errors (e.g., ifconfigg instead of ifconfig) are suggested malicious snap packages that were claimed by the attackers.

“For instance, consider what could occur if a user accidentally types ifconfigg instead of ifconfig” continues the analysis. “the command-not-found package helpfully corrects the user, suggesting the net-tools package for the mistyped ifconfig command. However, the situation becomes more problematic when an attacker capitalizes on these common mistakes by registering a snap with the typo, such as ifconfigg.”

The potential for attackers to exploit the command-not-found utility by suggesting their rogue Snap packages is worrisome.

“It remains uncertain how extensively these capabilities have been exploited, underscoring the urgency for heightened vigilance and proactive defense strategies,” Aqua concludes.

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Ubuntu)


facebook linkedin twitter

command-not-found Hacking hacking news IT Information Security LINUX Pierluigi Paganini Security Affairs Security News Ubuntu

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 22, 2025
Cisco confirms active exploitation of ISE and ISE-PIC flaws
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 22, 2025
SharePoint under fire: new ToolShell attacks target enterprises
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

Subscribe to my email list and stay
up-to-date!

    recent articles

    Cisco confirms active exploitation of ISE and ISE-PIC flaws

    Hacking / July 22, 2025

    SharePoint under fire: new ToolShell attacks target enterprises

    Hacking / July 22, 2025

    CrushFTP zero-day actively exploited at least since July 18

    Hacking / July 22, 2025

    Hardcoded credentials found in HPE Aruba Instant On Wi-Fi devices

    Security / July 22, 2025

    MuddyWater deploys new DCHSpy variants amid Iran-Israel conflict

    APT / July 21, 2025

    To contact me write an email to:

    Pierluigi Paganini :
    pierluigi.paganini@securityaffairs.co

    LEARN MORE

    QUICK LINKS

    • Home
    • Cyber Crime
    • Cyber warfare
    • APT
    • Data Breach
    • Deep Web
    • Digital ID
    • Hacking
    • Hacktivism
    • Intelligence
    • Internet of Things
    • Laws and regulations
    • Malware
    • Mobile
    • Reports
    • Security
    • Social Networks
    • Terrorism
    • ICS-SCADA
    • POLICIES
    • Contact me

    Copyright@securityaffairs 2024

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT