dbcve.org
Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2009-5042

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-10-31
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
python-docutils allows insecure usage of temporary files

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 · moderate confidence

python-docutils contains a vulnerability where temporary files are created or used in an insecure manner, likely due to predictable filenames or improper permissions in the /tmp directory, allowing attackers to potentially overwrite files or execute code via symlink attacks (TOCTOU).

MitigationReplace insecure temporary file operations with secure methods such as Python's tempfile module with proper flags (e.g., mkstemp with O_EXCL or NamedTemporaryFile), ensure temp files are created with restrictive permissions (mode 0600), and validate file operations atomically.

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
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.0= 9.0= 10.0
Python DocutilsApplication
Affected:= 0.5-2

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

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. Check if python-docutils is installed
    Run 'dpkg -l python-docutils' on Debian or 'pip show docutils' to see if the package is installed
    Affected if The package is not installed means not affected; if installed, continue to version check
  2. Verify the installed version
    Run 'dpkg -l python-docutils' or 'python -c "import docutils; print(docutils.__version__)"' to get the exact version number
    Affected if Version is 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.0a, 1.0b, 1.0c, 1.0d, 1.0e, 1.0f, 1.0g, 1.0h, 1.0i, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, or any version in the 0.5 through 2.x range before the fixed version
  3. Inspect scripts using docutils for temp file usage
    Search for scripts that import docutils and use mktemp, mkstemp without O_EXCL, or open() with predictable paths in /tmp. Run: 'grep -r "mktemp\|mkstemp\|/tmp" /path/to/your/scripts/'
    Affected if Scripts use insecure temporary file creation methods with docutils, creating files in /tmp with predictable names or without O_EXCL flag
  4. Check for world-writable /tmp permissions
    Run 'ls -ld /tmp' to verify /tmp has sticky bit set (mode 1777) and is not world-writable without restriction
    Affected if The /tmp directory lacks proper sticky bit (mode 1777) or has overly permissive access, allowing symlink attacks
  5. Look for temp file creation in docutils codebase
    Examine the docutils installation: find the docutils package directory (run 'python -c "import docutils; print(docutils.__file__)"') and search for tempfile usage: 'grep -r "mktemp\|NamedTemporaryFile\|mkstemp" /path/to/docutils/'
    Affected if The docutils code uses insecure temporary file methods such as mktemp() or creates temp files in /tmp without secure flags

You are affected if python-docutils version 0.5 through 2.x is installed and your scripts or the docutils code itself creates temporary files in /tmp using insecure methods (predictable names, no O_EXCL, or without proper atomic operations).

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

Replace insecure temporary file operations with secure methods such as Python's tempfile module with proper flags (e.g., mkstemp with O_EXCL or NamedTemporaryFile), ensure temp files are created with restrictive permissions (mode 0600), and validate file operations atomically.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2009-5042 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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