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CVE-2006-1335: GNOME Screensaver can be crashed to bypass lock

CVE-2006-1335 · published 20 years ago

Summary

The GNOME Screensaver version older than 2.14 can be forced to stop working when the computer’s display system is set to allow certain input controls. An attacker who can physically reach the machine can crash the screensaver and then gain access to the logged‑in session using a special keyboard shortcut. Upgrade the screensaver to version 2.14 or later, or disable the AllowDeactivateGrabs and AllowClosedownGrabs settings to prevent this.

What to do

The CVE record does not list a fixed version. Check the vendor's site or the advisory links below - a fix may already be released.

Affected software

Vendor	Product	Affected versions
gnome	screensaver	<= 2.13 `cpe:2.3:a:gnome:screensaver::::::::`

Original advisory text

gnome screensaver before 2.14, when running on an X server with AllowDeactivateGrabs and AllowClosedownGrabs enabled, allows attackers with physical access to cause the screensaver to crash and access the session via the Ctl+Alt+Keypad-Multiply keyboard sequence, which removes the grab from gnome.

References

Fix within

Internet-facing 60 days

Internal At next upgrade

Not known to be exploited
Needs hands-on effort to exploit (estimated)
Gives an attacker partial control (estimated)

Severity

3.7 Low

Exploitation

<1% chance of attack within 30 days

Timeline

Published21 Mar 2006

Updated4 Nov 2026

First seen29 Sep 2026

Sources

CVE-2006-1335 · NVD

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