Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Mantis 0.17.5 and earlier could expose its database password because the password was stored in cleartext in a world-readable configuration file. A local user on the same system could use that credential to make unauthorized database changes.
Executive priority
Treat this as a legacy-system cleanup item with real data-integrity risk. It is not sourced as actively exploited, but exposed database credentials can undermine the application and its stored issues.
Technical view
The issue is local credential exposure in Mantis configuration handling. The CVE states the database password is stored unencrypted in a configuration file readable by all local users, enabling unauthorized database operations. No CVSS, CWE, or exploit evidence is provided in the source bundle.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in legacy Mantis deployments at version 0.17.5 or earlier, especially shared servers where untrusted local users can read application files.
Exploitation context
The provided sources describe local-user abuse, not remote exploitation. CISA KEV is false in the bundle, and no cited source states active exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse: the bundle names Mantis 0.17.5 and earlier, the local-user condition, and Debian DSA-335. It does not provide CVSS, exact fixed versions, affected CPEs, or exploit telemetry.
Mitigation direction
- Identify and retire or upgrade Mantis 0.17.5 and earlier installations.
- Review and apply Debian DSA-335 or current vendor guidance.
- Restrict configuration file permissions to necessary service accounts only.
- Rotate the database password after permissions and software are corrected.
- Limit the Mantis database account to required privileges only.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Mantis versions across servers and hosted environments.
- Check whether the database configuration file is world-readable.
- Confirm local non-administrative users cannot read database credentials.
- Review database logs for unauthorized operations from the Mantis account.
- Verify upgraded packages or vendor-recommended fixes are installed.
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.
Credential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupDatabase behavior lookup
The CVE wording references database injection or access, so collection and exfiltration review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2003-0499 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
- DSA-335CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_DEBIAN
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.