Debian Security Advisory

mailx -- local exploit

Date Reported:
08 Aug 2000
Affected Packages:
mailx
Vulnerable:
Yes
Security database references:
In Mitre's CVE dictionary: CVE-2000-0703.
More information:
mailx is often used by other programs to send email. Unfortunately mailx as distributed in Debian GNU/Linux 2.1 (slink) and Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 (potato) has some features that made it possible to execute system commands if a user can trick a privileged program to send email using /usr/bin/mail.

This has been fixed in version 8.1.1-10.1.1slink.2 (for Debian GNU/Linux 2.1) and version 8.1.1-10.1.3 (for Debian GNU/Linux 2.2) by no longer allowing all configuration options to be set using the environment.

Fixed in:

Debian GNU/Linux 2.1 (slink):

Source:
http://security.debian.org/dists/slink/updates/source/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.1slink.2.diff.gz
http://security.debian.org/dists/slink/updates/source/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.1slink.2.dsc
http://security.debian.org/dists/slink/updates/source/mailx_8.1.1.orig.tar.gz
alpha:
http://security.debian.org/dists/slink/updates/binary-alpha/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.1slink.2_alpha.deb
i386:
http://security.debian.org/dists/slink/updates/binary-i386/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.1slink.2_i386.deb
m68k:
http://security.debian.org/dists/slink/updates/binary-m68k/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.1slink.2_m68k.deb
sparc:
http://security.debian.org/dists/slink/updates/binary-sparc/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.1slink.2_sparc.deb

Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 (potato):

Source:
http://security.debian.org/dists/potato/updates/main/source/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.3.diff.gz
http://security.debian.org/dists/potato/updates/main/source/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.3.dsc
http://security.debian.org/dists/potato/updates/main/source/mailx_8.1.1.orig.tar.gz
alpha:
http://security.debian.org/dists/potato/updates/main/binary-alpha/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.3_alpha.deb
arm:
http://security.debian.org/dists/potato/updates/main/binary-arm/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.3_arm.deb
i386:
http://security.debian.org/dists/potato/updates/main/binary-i386/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.3_i386.deb
powerpc:
http://security.debian.org/dists/potato/updates/main/binary-powerpc/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.3_powerpc.deb
sparc:
http://security.debian.org/dists/potato/updates/main/binary-sparc/mailx_8.1.1-10.1.3_sparc.deb