CVE-2003-0961

Status: ModifiedHigh (7.2)—Exploit

Severity7.2High · CVSS 2.0

Exploitation probability3.92 %higher than 90% of CVEs

Active exploitationNonot in the CISA catalog

Public exploitAvailablePublished on Exploit-DB

Integer overflow in the do_brk function for the brk system call in Linux kernel 2.4.22 and earlier allows local users to gain root privileges.

CVSS

Base score: 7.2
Version: 2.0
Vector: AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Exploitation probability (EPSS)

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 3.92 %
Percentile among all scored CVEs: 90
Score date: 10/21/2026

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).

Public exploits

Exploit code or detection templates are publicly available. This is not the same as confirmed active exploitation (KEV), but it raises the risk: patch with priority.

Published on Exploit-DB · Linux Kernel 2.4.22 - 'do_brk()' Local Privilege Escalation (2) (12/5/2003)
Published on Exploit-DB · Linux Kernel 2.4.22 - 'do_brk()' Local Privilege Escalation (1) (12/2/2003)

Affected technologies (1)

Linux — Linux Kernel

CWEs

NVD-CWE-Other

References

Show 50 references

Raw JSON (NVD)

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{
  "id": "CVE-2003-0961",
  "cveTags": [],
  "metrics": {
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        "source": "nvd@nist.gov",
        "cvssData": {
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          "baseScore": 7.2,
          "accessVector": "LOCAL",
          "vectorString": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C",
          "authentication": "NONE",
          "integrityImpact": "COMPLETE",
          "accessComplexity": "LOW",
          "availabilityImpact": "COMPLETE",
          "confidentialityImpact": "COMPLETE"
        },
        "acInsufInfo": false,
        "impactScore": 10,
        "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
        "obtainAllPrivilege": true,
        "exploitabilityScore": 3.9,
        "obtainUserPrivilege": false,
        "obtainOtherPrivilege": false,
        "userInteractionRequired": false
      }
    ]
  },
  "affected": [
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      "affectedData": [
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          "versions": [
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              "status": "affected",
              "version": "n/a"
            }
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  ],
  "published": "2003-12-15T05:00:00.000",
  "references": [
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  "vulnStatus": "Modified",
  "weaknesses": [
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      "source": "nvd@nist.gov",
      "description": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "NVD-CWE-Other"
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  "descriptions": [
    {
      "lang": "en",
      "value": "Integer overflow in the do_brk function for the brk system call in Linux kernel 2.4.22 and earlier allows local users to gain root privileges."
    },
    {
      "lang": "es",
      "value": "Un \"error en comprobaciones de límites\" en la función do_brk del kernel de Linux 2.4.22 y anteriores permite a usuarios locales ganar privilegios de root."
    }
  ],
  "lastModified": "2026-06-16T22:03:14.680",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "nodes": [
        {
          "negate": false,
          "cpeMatch": [
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              "matchCriteriaId": "1B0B9D8B-49EF-41C1-8644-9A0994A55D44",
              "versionEndIncluding": "2.4.22"
            }
          ],
          "operator": "OR"
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      ]
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  ],
  "sourceIdentifier": "cve@mitre.org"
}