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CVE-2009-5081

3.3 · LOW

The (1) config.guess, (2) contrib/groffer/perl/groffer.pl, and (3) contrib/groffer/perl/roff2.pl scripts in GNU troff (aka groff) 1.21 and earlier use an insufficient number of X characters in the…

Published Jun 30, 2011gnuCWE-59EPSS 0.29%

Overview

CVE-2009-5081 is a low-severity vulnerability affecting gnu groff. It was published on June 30, 2011 and has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 3.3 (LOW).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 3.3, rated LOW. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

The (1) config.guess, (2) contrib/groffer/perl/groffer.pl, and (3) contrib/groffer/perl/roff2.pl scripts in GNU troff (aka groff) 1.21 and earlier use an insufficient number of X characters in the template argument to the tempfile function, which makes it easier for local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a temporary file, a different vulnerability than CVE-2004-0969.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from gnu. Update groff to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Affected products

VendorProductVersionsStatus
gnugroff0Affected

References

Refcvsweb.openwall.com/cgi/cvsweb.cgi/Owl/packages/groff/groff-1.20.1-owl-tmp.diffRefcvsweb.openwall.com/cgi/cvsweb.cgi/Owl/packages/groff/groff-1.20.1-owl-tmp.diff.diff?r1=1.1%3Br2=1.2%3Bf=hRefopenwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/08/14/4Refopenwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/08/14/5Refwww.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2013:086Refcvsweb.openwall.com/cgi/cvsweb.cgi/Owl/packages/groff/groff-1.20.1-owl-tmp.diffRefcvsweb.openwall.com/cgi/cvsweb.cgi/Owl/packages/groff/groff-1.20.1-owl-tmp.diff.diff?r1=1.1%3Br2=1.2%3Bf=hRefopenwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/08/14/4Refopenwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/08/14/5Refwww.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2013:086

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-5081?

CVE-2009-5081 is a low-severity vulnerability affecting gnu groff. It was published on June 30, 2011 and has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 3.3 (LOW).

How severe is CVE-2009-5081?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 3.3, rated LOW. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2009-5081?

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from gnu. Update groff to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2009-5081?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2009-5081 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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