CVE-2009-4147
The _rtld function in the Run-Time Link-Editor (rtld) in libexec/rtld-elf/rtld.c in FreeBSD 7.1 and 8.0 does not clear the (1) LD_LIBMAP,…
- 7.2HighCVSS base score
- 3.7%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 10% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- 2Public exploitsMetasploit, Nuclei and Exploit-DB
Description
The _rtld function in the Run-Time Link-Editor (rtld) in libexec/rtld-elf/rtld.c in FreeBSD 7.1 and 8.0 does not clear the (1) LD_LIBMAP, (2) LD_LIBRARY_PATH, (3) LD_LIBMAP_DISABLE, (4) LD_DEBUG, and (5) LD_ELF_HINTS_PATH environment variables, which allows local users to gain privileges by executing a setuid or setguid program with a modified variable containing an untrusted search path that points to a Trojan horse library, different vectors than CVE-2009-4146.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. The public collections list a Metasploit module and an Exploit-DB entry for it.
Show the exploits2
Metasploit modules1 module
- FreeBSD rtld execl() Privilege Escalation (Metasploit module) (opens in a new tab)
exploit/freebsd/local/rtld_execl_priv_escRank excellentdisclosed 30 Nov 2009
Exploit-DB1 entry
- FreeBSD 8.0 Run-Time Link-Editor (RTLD) - Local Privilege Escalation (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 10255local, bsdpublished 30 Nov 2009Verified
Modules, templates and exploits as listed by the Metasploit Framework (BSD-3-Clause), ProjectDiscovery's Nuclei templates (MIT) and the Exploit Database (GPLv2), read once a day. Where the data comes from
Timeline
ID reserved
By mitre
- 1 day later
· 1 day later
Published
- 15 years later
· 15 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVDNVD · Modified | 2.0 | High7.2 | AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 3.7% · top 10% of all CVEs (9 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.2.
Affected products
n/a
- affected n/a
References
7
- 37154 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDx_transferred
- 20091201 Upcoming FreeBSD Security Advisory (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_BUGTRAQx_transferred
- 37517 (opens in a new tab)third-party-advisoryx_refsource_SECUNIAx_transferred
- http://people.freebsd.org/~cperciva/rtld.patch (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- 20091130 ** FreeBSD local r00t zeroday (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_BUGTRAQx_transferred
- 1023250 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_SECTRACKx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/152997/FreeBSD-rtld-execl-Privilege-Escalation.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2009-4117 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2009-4147)Record last updated .