dbcve.org
Optivity Net ArchitectApplication · Nortel

CVE-2000-0009

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 1999-12-29
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The bna_pass program in Optivity NETarchitect uses the PATH environmental variable for finding the "rm" program, which allows local users to execute arbitrary commands.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The bna_pass program in Optivity NETarchitect relies on the PATH environment variable to locate the 'rm' binary for file removal operations. A local attacker can manipulate PATH to point to a malicious 'rm' executable, achieving arbitrary command execution with the privileges of the bna_pass process.

MitigationHardcode the absolute path to the 'rm' binary (e.g., /bin/rm) instead of relying on PATH resolution, or explicitly set PATH to a trusted directory before calling 'rm'.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Optivity Net ArchitectApplication
Affected:= 2.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if Nortel Optivity Net Architect 2.0 is installed
    Search for the bna_pass binary in common installation directories such as /usr/bin, /usr/local/bin, /opt, or the application's installation path. Check for Nortel Optivity Net Architect version 2.0 documentation or installation records.
    Affected if The software is not found, the version is not 2.0, or bna_pass does not exist on the system, then this CVE does not apply.
  2. Locate the bna_pass program file
    Use commands like 'find / -name bna_pass -type f 2>/dev/null' or check typical installation paths for Optivity Net Architect.
    Affected if If bna_pass is not present on the system, this vulnerability is not present.
  3. Examine if bna_pass uses relative PATH for 'rm'
    Open the bna_pass file in a text editor or use 'strings' and 'grep' to search for calls to 'rm' without an absolute path (e.g., look for 'rm' vs '/bin/rm' or '/usr/bin/rm').
    Affected if If bna_pass calls 'rm' without an absolute path (uses plain 'rm' command), the system is vulnerable to PATH manipulation.
  4. Verify PATH environment variable can be manipulated
    Check file permissions on bna_pass and its parent directories. Determine if a local unprivileged user can modify the PATH environment variable before bna_pass executes, or if they can place a malicious 'rm' in a directory that appears earlier in PATH.
    Affected if If untrusted users can influence the PATH or place executables in directories that bna_pass searches for 'rm', the vulnerability is exploitable.
  5. Check if bna_pass runs with elevated privileges
    Use 'ls -la bna_pass' to check file permissions and ownership. Determine if bna_pass runs as a privileged user (root or a system account) by examining its setuid/setgid bits or execution context.
    Affected if If bna_pass runs with elevated privileges AND uses relative PATH for 'rm', exploitation yields privilege escalation.

A system is affected if Nortel Optivity Net Architect 2.0 is installed, the bna_pass program exists, and it invokes the 'rm' command without an absolute path while running with elevated privileges in an environment where local users can manipulate PATH.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Hardcode the absolute path to the 'rm' binary (e.g., /bin/rm) instead of relying on PATH resolution, or explicitly set PATH to a trusted directory before calling 'rm'.

Fix this in Optivity Net Architect Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2000-0009 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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