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PeopletoolsApplication · Peoplesoft

CVE-2003-0950

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2003-12-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
PeopleSoft PeopleTools 8.1x, 8.2x, and 8.4x allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands by uploading a file to the IClient Servlet, guessing the insufficiently random (system time) name of the directory used to store the file, and directly requesting that file.

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

PeopleSoft PeopleTools versions 8.1x through 8.4x contain a file upload vulnerability in the IClient Servlet. Attackers can upload arbitrary files by exploiting insufficiently random directory names generated using system time, then directly requesting the uploaded file to achieve remote command execution.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of PeopleSoft PeopleTools or implement strict input validation on file uploads, use cryptographically secure random directory names, and prevent execution of uploaded files.

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
PeopletoolsApplication
Affected:= 8.4= 8.10= 8.11= 8.12= 8.13= 8.14= 8.15= 8.16= 8.17= 8.18= 8.19= 8.20

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
Partial
Availability
Partial

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

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 PeopleSoft PeopleTools installation and version
    Locate the PeopleTools installation directory (commonly under PS_HOME or similar). Check for version information in version.properties, psapp.ini, or the About dialog in PeopleSoft application. Run: psadmin -i (or check registry on Windows) to retrieve the exact PeopleTools version.
    Affected if The installed version matches 8.10, 8.11, 8.12, 8.13, 8.14, 8.15, 8.16, 8.17, 8.18, 8.19, 8.20, or 8.4, or falls within the 8.1x to 8.4x range.
  2. Verify IClient Servlet is configured
    Examine the application server configuration (psappsrv.cfg) and web server configuration (web.xml) for the IClient servlet mapping. Look for servlet definitions containing 'IClient' or 'FileUpload' in the servlet configuration files under the application server's SERVLET section or the web profile.
    Affected if IClient servlet is mapped and active in the web or application server configuration.
  3. Locate file upload temporary directory
    Search configuration files (psappsrv.cfg,.properties files) for upload-related settings such as UploadDirectory, TempDirectory, or IClient upload path. Common paths include PS_HOME/appserv/%DOMAIN%/files or similar directory structures.
    Affected if An upload directory is configured and writable by the application server user.
  4. Inspect directory naming implementation
    Examine the deployed IClient servlet code or JAR files for the directory generation logic. Look for use of System.currentTimeMillis() or similar time-based methods for creating upload directories instead of cryptographic random number generators.
    Affected if The upload directory names are generated using system time or other predictable values rather than cryptographically secure randomness.
  5. Check for uploaded file execution prevention
    Review web server configuration (web.xml, httpd.conf, or equivalent) to verify if uploaded files in the upload directory are blocked from execution. Verify that script execution permissions are disabled for the upload directory.
    Affected if Uploaded files can be directly accessed and executed via HTTP request, with no filtering or script execution blocking in place.

A system is affected if it runs PeopleSoft PeopleTools versions 8.1x through 8.4x with the IClient servlet enabled and the upload directory permits direct access to uploaded files without execution prevention.

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

Upgrade to a patched version of PeopleSoft PeopleTools or implement strict input validation on file uploads, use cryptographically secure random directory names, and prevent execution of uploaded files.

Fix this in Peopletools Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
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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-2003-0950 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