CVE-2014-0240
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 · uneditedThe mod_wsgi module before 3.5 for Apache, when daemon mode is enabled, does not properly handle error codes returned by setuid when run on certain Linux kernels, which allows local users to gain privileges via vectors related to the number of running processes.
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 confidenceThe mod_wsgi module before 3.5 for Apache, when daemon mode is enabled, fails to properly handle error codes returned by the setuid system call on certain Linux kernels. This improper error handling can allow a local user to gain elevated privileges through vectors related to the number of running processes, likely due to the daemon continuing execution with root privileges when setuid should have failed.
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<= 3.4= 1.0= 1.1= 1.2= 1.3= 1.4= 1.5= 1.6= 2.0= 2.1= 2.2= 2.3CVSS 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
- High
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:H/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 installed mod_wsgi versionRun 'pip show mod_wsgi' or check the Python package version with 'python -c "import mod_wsgi; print(mod_wsgi.__version__)"'Affected if The installed version is 3.4 or lower (versions 1.0 through 3.4 are affected)
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Check if daemon mode is enabled in Apache configurationSearch the Apache configuration files (httpd.conf, apache2.conf, or included vhost files) for the 'WSGIDaemonProcess' directiveAffected if The WSGIDaemonProcess directive is present, indicating daemon mode is enabled
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Verify the Apache process is running as rootCheck the Apache master process user with 'ps -ef | grep apache' or 'ps -ef | grep httpd' and examine the UID columnAffected if Apache is running as root (UID 0), which is required for the setuid privilege escalation to be relevant
You are affected if mod_wsgi version is 3.4 or lower, daemon mode is enabled via WSGIDaemonProcess, and Apache runs as root to perform the setuid operation.
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 dataUpgrade mod_wsgi to version 3.5 or later. If upgrade is not immediately possible, consider disabling daemon mode or implementing additional access controls to limit local user access to the Apache processes.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-0240 — 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-2014-0240 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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