dbcve.org
FreeBSDOperating system

CVE-2000-0092

MEDIUM · 6.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2000-01-19
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 BSD make program allows local users to modify files via a symlink attack when the -j option is being used.

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 · moderate confidence

The BSD make program contains a symlink attack vulnerability that triggers when the -j (parallel execution) option is used. Local attackers can manipulate symlinks to cause make to modify or create files in unintended locations with elevated privileges.

MitigationAvoid using the -j option with BSD make until a patch is applied, or upgrade to a patched version of the make utility.

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
FreeBSDOperating system
Affected:= 3.4
NetbsdOperating system
Affected:= 1.4.1
OpenBSDOperating system
Affected:= 2.6

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
High
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:H/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 the make variant in use
    Run 'make --version' or 'which make' to determine if BSD make (not GNU make) is installed. BSD make typically lacks GNU-specific options and shows 'BSD Make' in version output.
    Affected if BSD make is installed rather than GNU make
  2. Determine BSD make version
    Run 'make -V' or check the binary version with 'make --version 2>&1'. Compare against affected versions: FreeBSD 3.4, NetBSD 1.4.1, OpenBSD 2.6.
    Affected if The installed version matches or falls within the affected BSD versions (FreeBSD 3.4, NetBSD 1.4.1, OpenBSD 2.6)
  3. Detect -j option usage in Makefiles
    Search Makefiles for 'MAKEFLAGS' containing '-j' or explicit '.MAKE.JOBS' settings. Run: 'grep -r "MAKEFLAGS.*-j\|\.MAKE.JOBS" /path/to/Makefiles'
    Affected if Makefiles or build scripts configure parallel execution with the -j option
  4. Check for -j in build scripts or command invocations
    Review build scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or shell histories for 'make -j' commands. Search for patterns like 'make -j[0-9]' in .sh, .bash, or cron files.
    Affected if Users or automated systems invoke make with the -j flag for parallel builds

You are affected if BSD make is installed, the version matches FreeBSD 3.4, NetBSD 1.4.1, or OpenBSD 2.6 (or falls within unpatched versions of those releases), AND the -j parallel execution option is actively used in any build process.

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

Avoid using the -j option with BSD make until a patch is applied, or upgrade to a patched version of the make utility.

Fix this in FreeBSD Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,000
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2000-0092 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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