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CVE-2002-0638

setpwnam.c in the util-linux package, as included in Red Hat Linux 7.3 and earlier, and other operating systems, does not properly lock a…

Medium6.2EPSS 0.53%
Published
Updated
Reserved
Assigned by
mitre

Description

setpwnam.c in the util-linux package, as included in Red Hat Linux 7.3 and earlier, and other operating systems, does not properly lock a temporary file when modifying /etc/passwd, which may allow local users to gain privileges via a complex race condition that uses an open file descriptor in utility programs such as chfn and chsh.

Scores

CVSS scores of CVE-2002-0638, by who scored it
Scored byCVSSScoreVector
NVDNVD · Modified2.0Medium6.2AV:L/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
0.53% · top 55% of all CVEs (2 Nov 2026)

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The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Medium 6.2.

Weakness

  • n/a

Affected products

  • n/a

    • affected n/a

References (12)

Sources

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Record last updated .