CVE-2003-0171
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 · uneditedDirectoryServices in MacOS X trusts the PATH environment variable to locate and execute the touch command, which allows local users to execute arbitrary commands by modifying the PATH to point to a directory containing a malicious touch program.
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 confidenceDirectoryServices in MacOS X relies on the PATH environment variable to locate the `touch` command rather than using an absolute path. A local attacker can modify PATH to include a directory containing a malicious `touch` binary, causing DirectoryServices to execute arbitrary code with its elevated privileges.
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= 10.0= 10.0.1= 10.0.2= 10.0.3= 10.0.4= 10.1= 10.1.1= 10.1.2= 10.1.3= 10.1.4= 10.1.5= 10.2= 10.0= 10.2= 10.2.1= 10.2.2= 10.2.3= 10.2.4CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify MacOS X versionRun 'sw_vers' or check /System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion.plist to determine the exact installed versionAffected if The installed version matches 10.0 through 10.2.x (Desktop) or 10.0 through 10.2.4 (Server) as listed in the affected versions
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Verify DirectoryServices is runningRun 'ps -ef | grep -i DirectoryServices' or check for the process 'DirectoryService' using Activity MonitorAffected if DirectoryServices process is active and running with elevated privileges
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Inspect PATH environment for the DirectoryServices processRun 'ps -eww -o pid,ppid,user,comm,args | grep -i DirectoryService' and check /proc/<pid>/environ (or use 'procinfo' package) to view the PATH variable for the running DirectoryServices processAffected if The PATH variable contains world-writable directories (such as /tmp, /var/tmp, or user-controlled directories) that an attacker could modify
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Check for presence of malicious touch binary in PATH directoriesExamine each directory listed in the DirectoryServices PATH for any 'touch' executables: 'ls -la <path_dir>/touch'Affected if A 'touch' binary exists in a directory within PATH that is writable by a local attacker
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Verify external command invocations lack absolute pathsReview DirectoryServices configuration files in /Library/DirectoryServices/ or examine the binary for hardcoded 'touch' calls versus '/usr/bin/touch' using 'strings' or 'otool -t'Affected if DirectoryServices invokes 'touch' without an absolute path, relying on PATH resolution
A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable MacOS X version (10.0-10.2.x), DirectoryServices is active, and the PATH variable used by DirectoryServices contains writable directories that could contain a malicious 'touch' binary.
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 dataReplace all external command invocations in DirectoryServices with absolute paths (e.g., `/usr/bin/touch` instead of `touch`) and validate the PATH environment variable or clear it before execution.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2003-0171 — 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-2003-0171 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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