HIGH
CVE-2002-0985
CWE-88Published: September 24, 2002· Updated: Jun 16, 2026
7.5
CVSS v3.1
Official Description
Argument injection vulnerability in the mail function for PHP 4.x to 4.2.2 may allow attackers to bypass safe mode restrictions and modify command line arguments to the MTA (e.g. sendmail) in the 5th argument to mail(), altering MTA behavior and possibly executing commands.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2002-0985 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.
Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.
User Interaction
Scope
Impact
ConfidentialityP
IntegrityP
AvailabilityP
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (30)
→
http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=103011916928204&w=2Third Party Advisory
→
http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=105760591228031&w=2Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.debian.org/security/2002/dsa-168Broken Link · Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
http://www.osvdb.org/2111Broken Link
→
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2002-213.htmlBroken Link · Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/9966Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
Quick Facts
CVE IDCVE-2002-0985
CVSS Score7.5 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-88
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedSep 24, 2002
Related CVEs (CWE-88)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2002-0985 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.