# CVE-2017-5899: Path traversal in n/a

> Local attackers can exploit a directory traversal flaw in the S-nail setuid helper to write arbitrary files and gain root privileges.

- **Severity:** High 7.0 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **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:** 27 Mar 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2017-5899, GHSA-42jr-32cj-2c5c, UBUNTU-CVE-2017-5899, USN-4820-1

## What is CVE-2017-5899?

CVE-2017-5899 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 27 Mar 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Directory traversal vulnerability in the setuid root helper binary in S-nail (later S-mailx) before 14.8.16 allows local users to write to arbitrary files and consequently gain root privileges via a .. (dot dot) in the randstr argument.

Weakness: CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization), CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-5899?

It affects 1 product.


Products: S-Nail Project S-Nail.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-5899?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2017-5899 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-5899 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- S-nail < 14.8.16 - Local Privilege Escalation (exploitdb)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-5899 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-5899 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 27 Mar 2017. 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-2017-5899 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-2017-5899/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-5899/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-5899
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-5899
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-5899

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-5899/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.