CVE-2003-0497
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 · uneditedCaché Database 5.x installs /cachesys/bin/cache with world-writable permissions, which allows local users to gain privileges by modifying cache and executing it via cuxs.
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 confidenceInterSystems Caché Database 5.x installs the /cachesys/bin/cache executable with world-writable (777) permissions, allowing any local user to modify the binary. A local attacker can replace the cache executable with malicious code and execute it to gain elevated privileges, typically running as root or a high-privilege service account.
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= 5CVSS 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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Locate the InterSystems Caché executableSearch for the cache binary at /cachesys/bin/cache, or use 'find / -name cache -type f 2>/dev/null' to locate any cache executable in the systemAffected if The executable is found at /caches/bin/cache or similar paths on a system with InterSystems Caché installed
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Check if the cache binary has world-writable permissionsRun 'ls -la /cachesys/bin/cache' or 'stat /cachesys/bin/cache' to inspect the file permissionsAffected if The permissions shown include 'w' for 'others' (e.g., rwxrwxrwx or any permission ending in 'w')
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Verify the installed version is 5.xRun '/cachesys/bin/cache -v' or check the version through the Caché management interface, or look for version information in /cachesys/version.cpkAffected if The installed version is 5.x (5.0, 5.1, 5.2, etc.)
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Confirm the executable runs with elevated privilegesCheck the ownership of the file with 'ls -la /cachesys/bin/cache' and verify the process runs as root or a service account by inspecting running cache processes with 'ps aux | grep cache'Affected if The file is owned by root or a service account and processes run as root or privileged user
A system is affected if InterSystems Caché version 5 is installed and the /cachesys/bin/cache executable has world-writable permissions (mode includes 'w' for others), allowing any local user to modify and execute the binary with elevated privileges.
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 dataChange the permissions on /cachesys/bin/cache to remove world-writable access (e.g., chmod 755 /cachesys/bin/cache), or upgrade to a supported version of Caché that does not have this permission misconfiguration.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,456.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2003-0497 — 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-2003-0497 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
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