CVE-2003-0742
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 · uneditedSCO Internet Manager (mana) allows local users to execute arbitrary programs by setting the REMOTE_ADDR environment variable to cause menu.mana to run as if it were called from ncsa_httpd, then modifying the PATH environment variable to point to a malicious "hostname" 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 confidenceSCO Internet Manager (mana) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability where the menu.mana script uses the PATH variable to locate the 'hostname' program. A local attacker can set the REMOTE_ADDR environment variable to trick the software into believing it's running from ncsa_httpd, then modify PATH to point to a malicious 'hostname' program, achieving arbitrary code execution with 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= 5.0.5= 5.0.6= 5.0.7CVSS 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 SCO OpenServer versionRun 'uname -a' or check /etc/osrelease to determine the exact installed version of SCO OpenServer.Affected if The version is 5.0.5, 5.0.6, or 5.0.7.
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Check if SCO Internet Manager is installedLocate the mana package or binary, typically found in paths like /usr/lib/mana or by checking if the 'mana' command exists on the system.Affected if SCO Internet Manager (mana) is installed and running on the system.
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Examine menu.mana script for PATH-dependent hostname lookupLocate the menu.mana script (commonly in /etc/mana or /usr/lib/mana) and inspect it for commands that invoke 'hostname' without an absolute path, relying on the PATH environment variable.Affected if The menu.mana script contains a call to 'hostname' that does not use an absolute path such as /usr/bin/hostname.
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Verify REMOTE_ADDR environment variable handlingSearch the menu.mana or mana components for code that reads the REMOTE_ADDR environment variable and uses it in authentication or privilege decisions.Affected if The software checks the REMOTE_ADDR environment variable to determine if the request originates from ncsa_httpd, bypassing normal authentication.
A system is affected if it runs SCO OpenServer versions 5.0.5, 5.0.6, or 5.0.7 with the SCO Internet Manager (mana) installed, where the menu.mana script uses a PATH-dependent call to hostname and relies on REMOTE_ADDR for authentication decisions.
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 dataImplement absolute path references for all executable calls within menu.mana and other mana components, removing dependency on the PATH environment variable. Additionally, the application should validate or ignore the REMOTE_ADDR environment variable when running in local contexts.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2003-0742 — 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-2003-0742 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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