# CVE-2006-4842: Path traversal in n/a

> Local attackers can exploit environment variable handling in NSPR setuid programs to create or overwrite arbitrary files.

- **Severity:** Low 3.6 (`AV:L/AC:L/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:** No
- **Published:** 12 Oct 2006
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-c7x4-3f9v-h9qf

## What is CVE-2006-4842?

CVE-2006-4842 is a low-severity path traversal vulnerability in Sun Solaris, published on 12 Oct 2006. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Netscape Portable Runtime (NSPR) API 4.6.1 and 4.6.2, as used in Sun Solaris 10, trusts user-specified environment variables for specifying log files even when running from setuid programs, which allows local users to create or overwrite arbitrary files.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2006-4842?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Netscape Portable Runtime Api, Sun Solaris.

## How do I fix CVE-2006-4842?

No fix has been published for CVE-2006-4842 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2006-4842 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2006-4842 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Solaris libnspr NSPR_LOG_FILE Privilege Escalation (metasploit)
- Solaris 10 libnspr - 'LD_PRELOAD' Arbitrary File Creation Privilege Escalation (1) (exploitdb)
- Sun Solaris Netscape Portable Runtime API 4.6.1 - Local Privilege Escalation (1) (exploitdb)
- Solaris 10 libnspr - 'LD_PRELOAD' Arbitrary File Creation Privilege Escalation (2) (exploitdb)
- Solaris 10 libnspr - 'Constructor' Arbitrary File Creation Privilege Escalation (3) (exploitdb)
- Sun Solaris Netscape Portable Runtime API 4.6.1 - Local Privilege Escalation (2) (exploitdb)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2006-4842 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2006-4842 is a low-severity path traversal vulnerability in Sun Solaris, published on 12 Oct 2006. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2006-4842 exists.

Affected product: Sun Solaris. 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-2006-4842/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-4842/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-4842
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2006-4842
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2006-4842

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-4842/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.