CVE Catalog

CVE-2002-0542

High
Published: Translated: NVD NIST

Summary

OpenBSD versions 2.9 and 3.0 have a vulnerability in the mail program that processes the tilde (~) escape character in a message even when not in interactive mode. This could allow local users to gain root privileges via calls to mail in cron.

Risk Assessment

This vulnerability poses a serious security risk as local users could gain unauthorized access to administrator privileges.

Recommendation

It is recommended to upgrade to a newer version of OpenBSD where this vulnerability has been fixed. Access to the mail program for local users should also be restricted.

Related vulnerabilities

Original NVD description (English source)

mail in OpenBSD 2.9 and 3.0 processes a tilde (~) escape character in a message even when it is not in interactive mode, which could allow local users to gain root privileges via calls to mail in cron.

Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS