do_command.c in Vixie cron (vixie-cron) 4.1 does not check the return code of a setuid call, which might allow local users to gain root priv
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 28/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.56% (FIRST EPSS).
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- Fixed version: cron (Debian:12) 3.0pl1-64; cronie (openSUSE:Tumbleweed) 1.5.0-65.4; vixie-cron (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as) 4:4.1-44.EL4.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to cron (Debian:12) 3.0pl1-64; cronie (openSUSE:Tumbleweed) 1.5.0-65.4; vixie-cron (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as) 4:4.1-44.EL4 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
do_command.c in Vixie cron (vixie-cron) 4.1 does not check the return code of a setuid call, which might allow local users to gain root privileges if setuid fails in cases such as PAM failures or resource limits, as originally demonstrated by a program that exceeds the process limits as defined in /etc/security/limits.conf.
- Published
- May 25, 2006
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.5% · 45th percentile
- CWE
- —
Report tools
Action score
28
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 28 / 40 · 7.2 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.5%
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| paul vixie | vixie cron | cpe:2.3:a:paul_vixie:vixie_cron |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- paul vixie vixie cron4.1
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | cron | before 3.0pl1-64 | 3.0pl1-64 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | cronie | before 1.5.0-65.4 | 1.5.0-65.4 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as | vixie-cron | before 4:4.1-44.EL4 | 4:4.1-44.EL4 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as | vixie-cron-debuginfo | before 4:4.1-44.EL4 | 4:4.1-44.EL4 |
Same product
paul vixie: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2001-0559crontab in Vixie cron 3.0.1 and earlier does not properly drop privileges after the failed parsing of a modification operation, which could 28Monitor
- CVE-1999-0769Vixie Cron on Linux systems allows local users to set parameters of sendmail commands via the MAILTO environmental variable.28Monitor
- CVE-1999-0872Buffer overflow in Vixie cron allows local users to gain root access via a long MAILTO environment variable in a crontab file.28Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2000-1096Jan 9, 2001 · crontab by Paul Vixie uses predictable file names for a temporary file and does not properly ensure that the file is owned by the user execu14Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2001-0560Aug 22, 2001 · Buffer overflow in Vixie cron 3.0.1-56 and earlier could allow a local attacker to gain additional privileges via a long username (> 20 char18Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2005-1038May 2, 2005 · crontab in Vixie cron 4.1, when running with the -e option, allows local users to read the cron files of other users by changing the file be8Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:cron | 3.0pl1-64 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:cronie | 1.5.0-65.4 · openSUSE:Tumbleweed | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:vixie-cron | 4:4.1-44.EL4 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:vixie-cron-debuginfo | 4:4.1-44.EL4 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- C · data can be read
- Integrity
- C · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- C · the service can be disrupted
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Confidentiality impact
- C
- Integrity impact
- C
- Availability impact
- C
Weakness class (CWE)
—
CVSS vector
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (17 more)Show less
- secunia.com/advisories/20380
- secunia.com/advisories/20388
- secunia.com/advisories/20616
- secunia.com/advisories/21032
- secunia.com/advisories/21702
- secunia.com/advisories/35318
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200606-07.xml
- securitytracker.com/id?1016480
- support.avaya.com/elmodocs2/security/ASA-2006-168.htm
- www.novell.com/linux/security/advisories/2006-05-32.html
- www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2006-0539.html
- www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/435033/100/0/threaded
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/18108
- www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2006/2075
- exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/26691
- oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A10213
- usn.ubuntu.com/778-1/
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.