# CVE-2006-1174: Misconfiguration in n/a

> Local attackers can read or modify user mailboxes due to unpredictable file permissions created by the useradd command.

- **Severity:** Low 3.7 (`AV:L/AC:H/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 28 May 2006
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2006-1174, GHSA-2fgw-2v2m-w7mc, RHSA-2007:0276, RHSA-2007:0431

## What is CVE-2006-1174?

CVE-2006-1174 is a low-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 28 May 2006. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

useradd in shadow-utils before 4.0.3, and possibly other versions before 4.0.8, does not provide a required argument to the open function when creating a new user mailbox, which causes the mailbox to be created with unpredictable permissions and possibly allows attackers to read or modify the mailbox.

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2006-1174?

It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `shadow-utils` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::as | All versions | 2:4.0.3-29.RHEL3 |
| `shadow-utils-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::as | All versions | 2:4.0.3-29.RHEL3 |
| `shadow-utils` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::desktop | All versions | 2:4.0.3-29.RHEL3 |
| `shadow-utils-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::desktop | All versions | 2:4.0.3-29.RHEL3 |
| `shadow-utils` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::es | All versions | 2:4.0.3-29.RHEL3 |
| `shadow-utils-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::es | All versions | 2:4.0.3-29.RHEL3 |
| `shadow-utils` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::ws | All versions | 2:4.0.3-29.RHEL3 |
| `shadow-utils-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::ws | All versions | 2:4.0.3-29.RHEL3 |
| `shadow-utils` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as | All versions | 2:4.0.3-61.RHEL4 |
| `shadow-utils-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as | All versions | 2:4.0.3-61.RHEL4 |
| `shadow-utils` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop | All versions | 2:4.0.3-61.RHEL4 |
| `shadow-utils-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop | All versions | 2:4.0.3-61.RHEL4 |
| `shadow-utils` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es | All versions | 2:4.0.3-61.RHEL4 |
| `shadow-utils-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es | All versions | 2:4.0.3-61.RHEL4 |
| `shadow-utils` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws | All versions | 2:4.0.3-61.RHEL4 |
| `shadow-utils-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws | All versions | 2:4.0.3-61.RHEL4 |

Products: Debian Shadow.

## How do I fix CVE-2006-1174?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2006-1174 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2006-1174 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2008-5394](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5394/): Path traversal in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2011-0721](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-0721/): Other in n/a (medium 6.4)
- [CVE-2004-1001](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-1001/): Security feature bypass in n/a (medium 4.6)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2006-1174 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2006-1174 is a low-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 28 May 2006. 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-2006-1174 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-2006-1174/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-1174/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-1174
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2006-1174
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2006-1174

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-1174/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.