Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2000-0901 is an old local privilege-escalation issue in screen 3.9.5 and earlier. A user who already has local access could abuse a format string flaw in the vbell_msg initialization variable to gain root privileges. There is no provided evidence of active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority only where legacy screen is present on shared or sensitive systems. The issue can turn ordinary local access into root, but exposure is likely limited by age and local-access requirements.
Technical view
The CVE describes a format string vulnerability in screen 3.9.5 and earlier, reachable through format characters in the vbell_msg initialization variable. Impact is local privilege escalation to root. The source bundle does not provide CVSS, CWE, affected package metadata, exploit maturity, or vendor remediation details.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on legacy Unix/Linux systems that still have screen 3.9.5 or earlier installed and accessible to local users. Modern managed distributions are less likely affected, but this should be verified rather than assumed.
Exploitation context
The attacker must be a local user or have equivalent local execution ability. The documented impact is root privilege gain. The bundle does not identify remote exploitation or confirmed in-the-wild exploitation, and CISA KEV status is false.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse and old. The core claim is consistent across the CVE record and IBM X-Force reference: screen 3.9.5 and earlier, format string in vbell_msg, local root impact. No source in the bundle provides patch identifiers or exploitation telemetry.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory systems for installed screen versions.
- Prioritize multi-user and shared administration hosts.
- Upgrade or replace affected screen versions according to vendor or distribution guidance.
- Remove screen where it is not operationally required.
- Restrict local shell access on systems pending remediation.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether screen is installed on in-scope hosts.
- Verify installed versions are later than 3.9.5 or vendor-patched.
- Review local user access on any affected systems.
- Check distribution advisories or package changelogs for remediation status.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2000-0901 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- screen-format-string(5188)CVE reference · vdb-entry, x_refsource_XF
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.