CVE-2014-5220
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 mdcheck script of the mdadm package for openSUSE 13.2 prior to version 3.3.1-5.14.1 does not properly sanitize device names, which allows local attackers to execute arbitrary commands as root.
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 mdcheck script in the mdadm package for openSUSE 13.2 fails to properly sanitize device names before using them in shell commands, allowing local attackers to inject and execute arbitrary commands with root 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= 13.2< 3.3.3CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Check installed mdadm versionRun 'rpm -q mdadm' or 'mdadm --version' to get the mdadm package versionAffected if The version is lower than 3.3.3 (for mdadm from upstream) or the package is from openSUSE 13.2 repository
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Verify openSUSE 13.2 systemCheck the OS release file with 'cat /etc/os-release' and look for VERSION="13.2" or check 'lsb_release -a' if availableAffected if The system is running openSUSE 13.2
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Locate the mdcheck scriptSearch for mdcheck in common script directories: 'find /usr -name mdcheck -type f 2>/dev/null'Affected if The mdcheck script exists on the system
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Check mdcheck script permissionsRun 'ls -la <path_to_mdcheck>' to view permissions; check if it is setuid root or writable by non-root usersAffected if The script is executable by unprivileged users or has setuid root permissions
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Check for automatic mdcheck executionExamine cron jobs with 'crontab -l' and systemd timers with 'systemctl list-timers --all' for mdcheck entriesAffected if mdcheck is scheduled to run automatically (increases exposure)
You are affected if running openSUSE 13.2 with mdadm installed, or any mdadm version below 3.3.3, and the mdcheck script exists and is accessible to unprivileged users.
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 data3.3.3
Update mdadm to version 3.3.1-5.14.1 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict execution permissions on the mdcheck script to prevent unauthorized local users from triggering the vulnerability.
- 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-2014-5220 — 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-2014-5220 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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