CVE-2008-5983

Name: CVE-2008-5983
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2009-01-28T02:30:00.233+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

UnknownEPSS 0.51%

Last modified Jun 16, 2026

CVE-2008-5983 is a vulnerability of currently unknown severity. Untrusted search path vulnerability in the PySys_SetArgv API function in Python 2.6 and earlier, and possibly later versions, prepends an empty string to sys.path when the argv[0] argument does not contain a path separator, which might allow local users to execute arbitrary code via a Trojan horse Python file in the current working directory.. EPSS estimates a 0.51% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

Untrusted search path vulnerability in the PySys_SetArgv API function in Python 2.6 and earlier, and possibly later versions, prepends an empty string to sys.path when the argv[0] argument does not contain a path separator, which might allow local users to execute arbitrary code via a Trojan horse Python file in the current working directory.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

0.51%

39.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-426

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Python	Python	< 2.6.6
Python	Python	>= 3.1.0, < 3.1.3
Fedoraproject	Fedora	13
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	8.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	10.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	11.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	11.10

References

http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2010-June/042751.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/34522Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/40194Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/42888Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/50858Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/51024Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/51040Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/51087Not Applicable
http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200903-41.xmlThird Party Advisory
http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200904-06.xmlThird Party Advisory
http://www.mail-archive.com/debian-bugs-dist%40lists.debian.org/msg586010.html
http://www.nabble.com/Bug-484305%3A-bicyclerepair%3A-bike.vim-imports-untrusted-python-files-from-cwd-td18848099.htmlBroken Link
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/01/26/2Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/01/28/5Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/01/30/2Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2011-0027.htmlThird Party Advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1596-1Third Party Advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1613-1Third Party Advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1613-2Third Party Advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1616-1Third Party Advisory
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/1448Permissions Required
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0122Permissions Required
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=482814Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2010-June/042751.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/34522Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/40194Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/42888Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/50858Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/51024Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/51040Not Applicable
http://secunia.com/advisories/51087Not Applicable
http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200903-41.xmlThird Party Advisory
http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200904-06.xmlThird Party Advisory
http://www.mail-archive.com/debian-bugs-dist%40lists.debian.org/msg586010.html
http://www.nabble.com/Bug-484305%3A-bicyclerepair%3A-bike.vim-imports-untrusted-python-files-from-cwd-td18848099.htmlBroken Link
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/01/26/2Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/01/28/5Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/01/30/2Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2011-0027.htmlThird Party Advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1596-1Third Party Advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1613-1Third Party Advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1613-2Third Party Advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1616-1Third Party Advisory
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/1448Permissions Required
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0122Permissions Required
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=482814Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jan 28, 2009
Last Modified: Jun 16, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2008-5983?

How severe is CVE-2008-5983?

Severity scoring for CVE-2008-5983 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 0.51% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2008-5983?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2008-5983?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST