Race condition vulnerability in setpwnam.c in the util-linux package allows local users to gain privileges via a complex race condition.

CVE-2002-0638 · MEDIUM Severity

AV:L/AC:H/AU:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

setpwnam.c in the util-linux package, as included in Red Hat Linux 7.3 and earlier, and other operating systems, does not properly lock a temporary file when modifying /etc/passwd, which may allow local users to gain privileges via a complex race condition that uses an open file descriptor in utility programs such as chfn and chsh.

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