CVE-2002-1981
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 · uneditedMicrosoft SQL Server 2000 through SQL Server 2000 SP2 allows the "public" role to execute the (1) sp_MSSetServerProperties or (2) sp_MSsetalertinfo stored procedures, which allows attackers to modify configuration including SQL server startup and alert settings.
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 confidenceMicrosoft SQL Server 2000 through SP2 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability where the 'public' role (a basic role automatically assigned to all users) can execute sensitive stored procedures sp_MSSetServerProperties and sp_MSsetalertinfo. These procedures allow modification of SQL Server configuration, including startup settings and alert configurations, which should be restricted to administrative roles.
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= 2000CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify SQL Server versionRun SELECT @@VERSION in SQL Server Management Studio or via sqlcmd to retrieve the exact version numberAffected if Version shows Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (any build)
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Determine Service Pack levelRun SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('ProductLevel') or check the version string for SP1, SP2, or later indicatorsAffected if Service Pack level is SP2 or earlier (including no service pack)
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Check execute permission on sp_MSSetServerProperties for public roleRun: USE master; SELECT dp.name AS principal, dp.type_desc, perm.permission_name, perm.state_desc FROM sys.database_permissions perm JOIN sys.database_principals dp ON perm.grantee_principal_id = dp.principal_id WHERE perm.major_id = OBJECT_ID('sp_MSSetServerProperties') AND dp.name = 'public'Affected if A row is returned showing the public role has execute (EXEC) permission on this procedure
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Check execute permission on sp_MSsetalertinfo for public roleRun: USE master; SELECT dp.name AS principal, dp.type_desc, perm.permission_name, perm.state_desc FROM sys.database_permissions perm JOIN sys.database_principals dp ON perm.grantee_principal_id = dp.principal_id WHERE perm.major_id = OBJECT_ID('sp_MSsetalertinfo') AND dp.name = 'public'Affected if A row is returned showing the public role has execute (EXEC) permission on this procedure
Environment is affected if running SQL Server 2000 with Service Pack 2 or earlier AND the public role has execute permissions on one or both of the stored procedures sp_MSSetServerProperties or sp_MSsetalertinfo.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply SQL Server 2000 SP3 or later which patches this vulnerability, or explicitly revoke execute permissions on sp_MSSetServerProperties and sp_MSsetalertinfo from the public role using Transact-SQL.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2002-1981 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2002-1981 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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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