dbcve.org
AixOperating system · Ibm

CVE-2002-1548

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2003-03-31
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
Unknown vulnerability in autofs on AIX 4.3.0, when using executable maps, allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands as root, possibly related to "string handling around how the executable map is called."

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 autofs implementation on AIX 4.3.0 contains a string handling vulnerability in how executable maps are invoked. When executable maps are configured, an attacker with local access can inject arbitrary commands through improper string handling, achieving root-level code execution.

MitigationDisable or remove executable map configurations in autofs if not strictly required. If executable maps are necessary, restrict access to the map files and programs, and contact IBM for potential patches for this legacy AIX version.

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
AixOperating system
Affected:= 4.3.0

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. Verify AIX version is 4.3.0
    Run 'oslevel -r' or 'lsattr -E -l sys0 | grep oslevel' to confirm the installed AIX version
    Affected if The version shows anything other than 4.3.0 (this CVE only affects 4.3.0)
  2. Confirm autofs is installed
    Run 'lslpp -l | grep -i autofs' or check if /usr/sbin/automount exists
    Affected if autofs is not installed (the vulnerability cannot be exploited without autofs)
  3. Check if executable maps are configured in autofs
    Examine the autofs master map file at /etc/auto_master and look for map entries that reference executable programs or scripts. Also check /etc/automount for executable map configurations using 'grep -r executable /etc/automount*'
    Affected if Executable maps are configured and enabled in autofs

A system is affected only if it is running AIX 4.3.0 with autofs installed and executable maps configured and enabled.

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

Disable or remove executable map configurations in autofs if not strictly required. If executable maps are necessary, restrict access to the map files and programs, and contact IBM for potential patches for this legacy AIX version.

Fix this in Aix Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,180
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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-2002-1548 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data