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Database ServerDatabase / datastore · Oracle

CVE-2003-0096

HIGH · 9.0 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 →
96/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Multiple buffer overflows in Oracle 9i Database release 2, Release 1, 8i, 8.1.7, and 8.0.6 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via (1) a long conversion string argument to the TO_TIMESTAMP_TZ function, (2) a long time zone argument to the TZ_OFFSET function, or (3) a long DIRECTORY parameter to the BFILENAME function.

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

Multiple buffer overflow vulnerabilities in Oracle 9i and earlier database versions exist in the TO_TIMESTAMP_TZ, TZ_OFFSET, and BFILENAME functions. Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code by passing overly long arguments to these functions.

MitigationApply Oracle Critical Patch Updates or upgrade to a supported Oracle database version, as these vulnerabilities affect end-of-life 8i/9i releases that are no longer under Oracle's security support.

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
Database ServerDatabase / datastore
Affected:= 8.0.6= 9.2.1= 9.2.2
Oracle8iDatabase / datastore
Affected:= 8.1.7= 8.1.7.1
Oracle9iDatabase / datastore
Affected:= 9.0= 9.0.1= 9.0.1.2= 9.0.1.3= 9.0.2

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
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/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 Oracle database version
    Connect to the database as a privileged user and run: SELECT * FROM v$version; or SELECT version FROM product_component_version WHERE product LIKE 'Oracle Database%';
    Affected if The version matches any of these: 8.0.6, 8.1.7, 8.1.7.1, 9.0, 9.0.1, 9.0.1.2, 9.0.1.3, 9.0.2, 9.2.1, or 9.2.2
  2. Confirm the database listener is accessible over the network
    Check the Oracle listener configuration (listener.ora) and verify if the database port is exposed. Use: lsnrctl status (if you have access) or test network connectivity to port 1521 (or configured Oracle port)
    Affected if The Oracle TNS listener accepts remote connections from untrusted networks without adequate firewall restrictions
  3. Verify the vulnerable functions exist and are executable
    Query: SELECT owner, object_name FROM all_objects WHERE object_name IN ('TO_TIMESTAMP_TZ','TZ_OFFSET','BFILENAME') AND object_type='FUNCTION';
    Affected if Any of these three functions exist in the database (they are standard Oracle functions and will be present in affected versions)
  4. Check for recent authentication activity on the database
    Review audit logs or v$session for unusual connections, especially from remote hosts. Query: SELECT username, machine, program, logon_time FROM v$session WHERE username IS NOT NULL;
    Affected if There are sessions from untrusted remote hosts executing queries (the vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication in some configurations)

You are affected if your Oracle database version matches 8.0.6, 8.1.7.x, 9.0.x, 9.2.1, or 9.2.2 AND the database listener is network-accessible.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Oracle Critical Patch Updates or upgrade to a supported Oracle database version, as these vulnerabilities affect end-of-life 8i/9i releases that are no longer under Oracle's security support.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Oracle 10g or later (e.g., Oracle 11g R2 or Oracle 12c)

  1. 1. Identify the current Oracle database version and edition in use
  2. 2. Plan an upgrade path to a supported Oracle database version (Oracle 10g or later)
  3. 3. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment to ensure application compatibility
  4. 4. Create a full backup of the current database before upgrading
  5. 5. Apply the upgrade following Oracle's official upgrade documentation
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify that the vulnerable functions (TO_TIMESTAMP_TZ, TZ_OFFSET, BFILENAME) behave correctly with normal-length arguments
  7. 7. Update application code if any SQL calls to these functions need modification
Caveat Upgrading major versions may require changes to application SQL, deprecated features, and compatibility settings; thorough testing is essential

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Database Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
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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-2003-0096 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