# CVE-2002-0638: Race condition in n/a

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

- **Severity:** Medium 6.2 (`AV:L/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 2 Apr 2003
- **Updated:** 8 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gmmv-6j82-fwgw

## 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: 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.

## Other vulnerabilities in Mandrakesoft Mandrake Linux

- [CVE-2002-0836](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0836/): Command injection in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2001-1506](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2001-1506/): Privilege escalation in n/a (medium 4.6)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2002-0638 and fix it if it is affected.

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

Affected product: Mandrakesoft Mandrake Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0638/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0638/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2002-0638
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2002-0638
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2002-0638

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0638/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.