# CVE-2008-5983: Path traversal in n/a

> Local attackers can execute arbitrary code by placing a malicious Python file in the current working directory when running scripts without path separators.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.9 (`AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 28 Jan 2009
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** AZL-109584, GHSA-4jhg-wfq8-3vgm

## What is CVE-2008-5983?

CVE-2008-5983 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 28 Jan 2009. 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

Untrusted search path vulnerability in the PySys_SetArgv API function in Python 2.6 and earlier, and possibly later versions, prepends an empty string to sys.path when the argv[0] argument does not contain a path separator, which might allow local users to execute arbitrary code via a Trojan horse Python file in the current working directory.

Weakness: CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-5983?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Fedoraproject Fedora, Python Python.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-5983?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2008-5983 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-5983 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux

- [CVE-2020-11651](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11651/): SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-7247](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7247/): OpenSMTPD Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-16928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16928/): Exim Out-of-bounds Write (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-6789](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6789/): Exim Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-2590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2590/): Oracle Java SE and Java SE Embedded Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-5983 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-5983 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 28 Jan 2009. 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: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-5983 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Canonical Ubuntu Linux. 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-2008-5983/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5983/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-5983
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-5983
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-5983

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5983/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.