Security readout for executives and security teams
CVE-2009-5044 is an old local-file overwrite issue in GNU groff’s pdfroff script. A local user could abuse predictable temporary filenames to overwrite files through symlinks. This is mainly a concern on shared systems where untrusted users can run pdfroff. There is no source-provided evidence of current active exploitation. Exposure is most likely on Unix-like systems with groff/pdfroff installed, especially older distributions or shared multi-user hosts. The source bundle does not provide complete affected CPEs. Systems running groff before 1.21, unless vendor-backported fixes are present, should be reviewed. Treat as a maintenance-priority vulnerability unless the organization runs shared Unix systems or privileged document-generation workflows. It is local-only and old, but arbitrary file overwrite can matter when combined with elevated execution contexts. Patch through normal OS update channels after validating exposure. Mitigation focus: Identify systems with GNU groff or pdfroff installed.; Upgrade groff to 1.21 or a vendor-fixed package where applicable.; Check OS vendor advisories for backported fixes before relying on upstream version alone..
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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CVE-2009-5044 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
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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
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT205031CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
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