CVE-2002-0542

NONECVSS 0.0Weaponized

0.0

mail in OpenBSD 2.9 and 3.0 processes a tilde (~) escape character in a message even when it is not in interactive mode, which could allow local users to gain root privileges via calls to mail in cron.

CVSS v3: —
EG Score: —
EPSS: 71.9%
KEV: Not listed

Published

July 3, 2002

Last Modified

April 16, 2026

References (12)

cve@mitrehttp://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=101855467811695&w=2
cve@mitrehttp://online.securityfocus.com/archive/1/267089
cve@mitrehttp://www.iss.net/security_center/static/8818.php
cve@mitrehttp://www.openbsd.org/errata30.html#mail
cve@mitrehttp://www.osvdb.org/5269
cve@mitrehttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/4495
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=101855467811695&w=2
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://online.securityfocus.com/archive/1/267089
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.iss.net/security_center/static/8818.php
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.openbsd.org/errata30.html#mail
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.osvdb.org/5269
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/4495

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 12× in last 7d / 16× in last 30d)

Every time one of our enrichment pipelines (NVD, MITRE cvelistV5, EPSS, CISA KEV, GHSA, OSV, vendor advisories) ran against this CVE. Most recent first.

2026-05-29 13:40 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-28 13:42 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-28 13:42 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-28 13:42 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-28 13:42 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-27 13:37 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-27 13:37 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-26 13:41 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-26 13:41 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-26 13:41 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-24 16:42 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-22 21:15 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-21 22:38 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-20 22:36 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-18 21:29 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-18 21:29 UTCepss_batch

Publicly available exploits

(1 reference)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

Exploit-DBEDB-21373✓ verified
First seen Apr 11, 2002
OpenBSD 2.9/3.0 - Default Crontab Root Command Injection
Open source ↗

Frequently asked(4)

What is CVE-2002-0542?

CVE-2002-0542 is a none vulnerability published on July 3, 2002. mail in OpenBSD 2.9 and 3.0 processes a tilde (~) escape character in a message even when it is not in interactive mode, which could allow local users to gain root privileges via calls to mail in cron.

When was CVE-2002-0542 disclosed?

CVE-2002-0542 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on July 3, 2002, with the most recent update on April 16, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.

Is CVE-2002-0542 actively exploited?

CVE-2002-0542 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 71.9% percentile likelihood of exploitation in the next 30 days — higher percentiles indicate greater predicted risk.

How do I remediate CVE-2002-0542?

Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2002-0542, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

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CVE-2002-0542

📅 Published

🔄 Last Modified

🔗 References (12)