CVE-2002-0638 Race condition in n/a

Medium 6.2 Published 2 Apr 2003 Updated 8 Aug 2024

Local attackers can exploit a race condition in setpwnam.c to gain elevated privileges by manipulating temporary files during password modifications.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2002-0638?

CVE-2002-0638 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Mandrakesoft Mandrake Linux, published on 2 Apr 2003. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

setpwnam.c in the util-linux package, as included in Red Hat Linux 7.3 and earlier, and other operating systems, does not properly lock a temporary file when modifying /etc/passwd, which may allow local users to gain privileges via a complex race condition that uses an open file descriptor in utility programs such as chfn and chsh.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2002-0638?

It affects 5 products.

Products include Hp Secure Os, Mandrakesoft Mandrake Linux, Mandrakesoft Mandrake Linux Corporate Server, Mandrakesoft Mandrake Single Network Firewall, Redhat Linux.

How do I fix CVE-2002-0638?

No fix has been published for CVE-2002-0638 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Is CVE-2002-0638 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2002-0638 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Mandrakesoft Mandrake Linux vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-gmmv-6j82-fwgw.