# CVE-2004-0452: Race condition in n/a

> Local attackers can exploit a race condition in Perl's File::Path module to delete or read arbitrary files via symlink attacks.

- **Severity:** Low 2.6 (`AV:L/AC:H/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P`)
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 31 Dec 2004
- **Updated:** 8 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2004-0452, GHSA-27g6-7ffq-cf4w

## What is CVE-2004-0452?

CVE-2004-0452 is a low-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 31 Dec 2004. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Race condition in the rmtree function in the File::Path module in Perl 5.6.1 and 5.8.4 sets read/write permissions for the world, which allows local users to delete arbitrary files and directories, and possibly read files and directories, via a symlink attack.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2004-0452?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Larry Wall Perl.

## How do I fix CVE-2004-0452?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2004-0452 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2004-0452 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2007-5116](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-5116/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2005-4278](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-4278/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2000-0703](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2000-0703/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2003-0900](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2003-0900/): Weak cryptography in n/a (medium 5.0)
- [CVE-2005-0155](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-0155/): Privilege escalation in n/a (medium 4.6)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2004-0452 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2004-0452 is a low-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 31 Dec 2004. 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-2004-0452 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2004-0452/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0452/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2004-0452
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2004-0452
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2004-0452

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0452/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.