CVE-2002-0542 json
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…
published 2002-07-03 24 y ago modified 2026-06-16 4 mo ago also EUVD-2002-0537
- cvss
- 7.2
- version 2.0, NVD
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 1.5%
- EPSS 1.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 74%
- public exploits
- 1
- Exploit-DB
Summary
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.
Patch / fix
- securityfocus.com/bid/4495 advisory
- iss.net/security_center/static/8818.php advisory
Timeline
- First public exploit (EDB-21373)
- Published
Exploit prediction
1.53% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 74% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).
Exploits and checks
- EDB-21373 OpenBSD 2.9/3.0 - Default Crontab Root Command Injection local, 2002-04-11
- securityfocus.com http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/4495 referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified
- online.securityfocus.com http://online.securityfocus.com/archive/1/267089 referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVD | 2.0 | 7.2 | AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C |
References
-
securityfocus.com
/bid/4495
vdb-entry, exploit, patch, vendor-advisory
-
iss.net
/security_center/static/8818.php
vdb-entry, patch, vendor-advisory
-
online.securityfocus.com
/archive/1/267089
mailing-list, exploit, vendor-advisory
- openbsd.org /errata30.html#mail
-
marc.info
/?l=bugtraq&m=101855467811695&w=2
mailing-list
-
osvdb.org
/5269
vdb-entry
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2002-0542
- NVD CVE-2002-0542
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