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.
Conclusion & alert: CVE-2002-0638 is rated Low Risk (39.3/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.53%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.
Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.
EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).
| # | Date | Old EPSS score | New EPSS score | Delta (New - Old) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-06-15 | 0.08% | 0.53% | +0.44% |
| 2 | 2025-03-17 | 1.01% | 0.08% | -0.92% |
| 3 | 2025-03-02 | — | 1.01% | — |
Full EPSS history (8 records total)
CVSS metrics for this CVE.
| Base score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability | Impact | Score source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 2.0 | MEDIUM |
|
1.9 | 10.0 | [email protected] |
| vendor | priority | summary | link |
|---|---|---|---|
redhat
|
medium | — | https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2002-0638 |
| Vendor | Product | Version | Raw CPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| mandrakesoft | mandrake_single_network_firewall | 7.2 | cpe:2.3:a:mandrakesoft:mandrake_single_network_firewall:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| hp | secure_os | 1.0 | cpe:2.3:o:hp:secure_os:1.0:*:linux:*:*:*:*:* |
| mandrakesoft | mandrake_linux | 7.0 | cpe:2.3:o:mandrakesoft:mandrake_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mandrakesoft | mandrake_linux | 7.1 | cpe:2.3:o:mandrakesoft:mandrake_linux:7.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mandrakesoft | mandrake_linux | 7.2 | cpe:2.3:o:mandrakesoft:mandrake_linux:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mandrakesoft | mandrake_linux | 8.0 | cpe:2.3:o:mandrakesoft:mandrake_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mandrakesoft | mandrake_linux | 8.0 | cpe:2.3:o:mandrakesoft:mandrake_linux:8.0:*:ppc:*:*:*:*:* |
| mandrakesoft | mandrake_linux | 8.1 | cpe:2.3:o:mandrakesoft:mandrake_linux:8.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mandrakesoft | mandrake_linux | 8.1 | cpe:2.3:o:mandrakesoft:mandrake_linux:8.1:*:ia64:*:*:*:*:* |
| mandrakesoft | mandrake_linux | 8.2 | cpe:2.3:o:mandrakesoft:mandrake_linux:8.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mandrakesoft | mandrake_linux_corporate_server | 1.0.1 | cpe:2.3:o:mandrakesoft:mandrake_linux_corporate_server:1.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 6.0 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 6.0 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:6.0:*:alpha:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 6.0 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:6.0:*:sparc:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 6.1 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 6.1 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:6.1:*:alpha:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 6.1 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:6.1:*:sparc:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 6.2 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 6.2 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:6.2:*:alpha:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 6.2 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:6.2:*:sparc:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 7.0 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 7.0 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:7.0:*:alpha:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 7.1 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:7.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 7.1 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:7.1:*:alpha:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 7.1 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:7.1:*:ia64:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 7.2 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 7.2 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:7.2:*:alpha:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 7.2 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:7.2:*:ia64:*:*:*:*:* |
| redhat | linux | 7.3 | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:linux:7.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |