CVE-2000-0048 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability found in the get_it program included with Corel Linux Update version 1.0. The vulnerability arises because the get_it program improperly handles the PATH environment variable when invoking the 'cp' (copy) command. Specifically, it allows a local user to specify an alternate PATH that points to a malicious version of the 'cp' executable. Since get_it runs with elevated privileges (root), this flaw enables an attacker to execute arbitrary code with root privileges by tricking the program into running the attacker's crafted 'cp' binary. This results in a complete compromise of the system's confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability requires local access to the system but does not require authentication beyond that, and no user interaction beyond executing the vulnerable program is needed. The CVSS v2 base score is 7.2, indicating a high severity level, with metrics AV:L (local), AC:L (low complexity), Au:N (no authentication), and full impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. A patch addressing this vulnerability is available from Corel at the provided URLs. There are no known exploits in the wild, but the vulnerability remains critical due to the ease of exploitation and the total system compromise it enables. This issue is specific to Corel Linux version 1.0, an older and less common Linux distribution, but the underlying flaw is a classic example of insecure environment variable handling leading to privilege escalation.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability depends largely on the presence of Corel Linux 1.0 systems within their infrastructure. While Corel Linux is not widely used today, organizations that maintain legacy systems or specialized environments running this distribution are at risk. Successful exploitation would allow a local attacker to gain root access, potentially leading to full system compromise, data theft, unauthorized modifications, and disruption of services. This could affect confidentiality by exposing sensitive data, integrity by allowing unauthorized changes, and availability by enabling denial-of-service conditions or persistent backdoors. In sectors with strict regulatory requirements such as finance, healthcare, or critical infrastructure, such a compromise could have severe legal and operational consequences. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged as a stepping stone for lateral movement within a network if an attacker gains initial local access through other means. However, given the age and limited deployment of Corel Linux, the overall risk to most European organizations is low unless legacy systems are in use.

1. Immediate application of the official patch provided by Corel at http://linux.corel.com/support/clos_patch1.htm is the primary mitigation step. 2. For organizations still running Corel Linux 1.0, consider migrating to a modern, supported Linux distribution to eliminate exposure to this and other legacy vulnerabilities. 3. Restrict local access to systems running Corel Linux to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 4. Implement strict environment variable sanitization policies and avoid running setuid or privileged programs that rely on environment variables like PATH without explicit validation. 5. Conduct regular audits of legacy systems to identify outdated software and vulnerabilities. 6. Employ host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to monitor for unusual privilege escalation attempts or execution of unauthorized binaries. 7. Educate system administrators about the risks of environment variable manipulation and privilege escalation techniques to improve detection and response capabilities.