# CVE-2004-1689: Path traversal in n/a

> Local attackers can read arbitrary files by exploiting a symlink vulnerability in sudoedit's temporary file handling.

- **Severity:** Low 2.1 (`AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 20 Feb 2005
- **Updated:** 8 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2004-1689, GHSA-53qq-7f4q-p4vg

## What is CVE-2004-1689?

CVE-2004-1689 is a low-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Feb 2005. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

sudoedit (aka sudo -e) in sudo 1.6.8 opens a temporary file with root privileges, which allows local users to read arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the temporary file before quitting sudoedit.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2004-1689?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Todd Miller Sudo.

## How do I fix CVE-2004-1689?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2004-1689 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2004-1689 exists.

Public exploit code:

- SudoEdit 1.6.8 - Local Change Permission (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2005-1831](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-1831/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 8.4)
- [CVE-2012-2337](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2337/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2012-0809](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-0809/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2006-0151](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-0151/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2002-0043](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0043/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.2)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2004-1689 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2004-1689 is a low-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Feb 2005. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2004-1689 exists.

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-2004-1689/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-1689/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2004-1689
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2004-1689
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2004-1689

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-1689/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.