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Util LinuxApplication · Andries Brouwer

CVE-2003-0094

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2003-03-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
A patch for mcookie in the util-linux package for Mandrake Linux 8.2 and 9.0 uses /dev/urandom instead of /dev/random, which causes mcookie to use an entropy source that is more predictable than expected, which may make it easier for certain types of attacks to succeed.

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 mcookie utility in Mandrake Linux 8.2 and 9.0's util-linux package uses /dev/urandom instead of /dev/random for generating random values (used for X cookies and similar purposes). Since /dev/urandom does not wait for sufficient entropy and can be more predictable, this reduces the cryptographic strength of the generated values and may allow certain attacks to succeed.

MitigationReplace /dev/urandom with /dev/random in the mcookie source code to ensure proper entropy-based random number generation, then rebuild and deploy the updated util-linux package.

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
Util LinuxApplication
Affected:= 2.11n= 2.11u

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
None
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed util-linux version
    Run 'rpm -q util-linux' or check the package version with 'dpkg -l util-linux' depending on your distribution
    Affected if The version displayed is 2.11n or 2.11u (these exact versions are vulnerable)
  2. Locate the mcookie binary
    Run 'which mcookie' or 'find /usr -name mcookie' to find the binary path
    Affected if mcookie binary exists on the system (the vulnerability only applies if this utility is installed)
  3. Determine what random source mcookie uses
    Run 'strings $(which mcookie) | grep -E "(urandom|random)"' to inspect the binary for hardcoded device paths, or check the source code if available in /usr/src/util-linux
    Affected if The binary contains a reference to /dev/urandom (vulnerable) rather than /dev/random (fixed)
  4. Test mcookie output entropy behavior
    Run 'strace -e open,read mcookie 2>&1' to trace which device the binary opens when generating a value
    Affected if The trace shows mcookie opening /dev/urandom instead of /dev/random

You are affected if your installed util-linux is version 2.11n or 2.11u AND the mcookie utility is present AND it accesses /dev/urandom for randomness generation.

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

Replace /dev/urandom with /dev/random in the mcookie source code to ensure proper entropy-based random number generation, then rebuild and deploy the updated util-linux package.

Fix this in Util Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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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-2003-0094 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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