# CVE-2002-1165: Security feature bypass in n/a

> Attackers can bypass SMRSH restrictions in Sendmail to execute arbitrary commands if the restricted shell feature is enabled.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.6 (`AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 3 Oct 2002
- **Updated:** 8 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2002-1165, GHSA-48jx-mwjr-89wq

## What is CVE-2002-1165?

CVE-2002-1165 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Netbsd Netbsd, published on 3 Oct 2002. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Sendmail Consortium's Restricted Shell (SMRSH) in Sendmail 8.12.6, 8.11.6-15, and possibly other versions after 8.11 from 5/19/1998, allows attackers to bypass the intended restrictions of smrsh by inserting additional commands after (1) "||" sequences or (2) "/" characters, which are not properly filtered or verified.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2002-1165?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Netbsd Netbsd, Sendmail Sendmail.

## How do I fix CVE-2002-1165?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2002-1165 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2002-1165 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Sendmail 8.12.x - SMRSH Double Pipe Access Validation (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Netbsd Netbsd

- [CVE-2017-1000374](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1000374/): Security feature bypass in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-1000375](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1000375/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-1000378](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1000378/): Denial of service in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2015-8212](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8212/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2008-3584](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3584/): Denial of service in n/a (critical 9.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2002-1165 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2002-1165 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Netbsd Netbsd, published on 3 Oct 2002. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2002-1165 exists.

Affected product: Netbsd Netbsd. 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-2002-1165/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-1165/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2002-1165
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2002-1165
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2002-1165

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-1165/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.