Description
bonsai Mozilla CVS query tool leaks the absolute pathname of the tool in certain error messages generated by (1) cvslog.cgi, (2) cvsview2.cgi, or (3) multidiff.cgi.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 3.0 | bonsai | 1.3+cvs20020224-1woody1 | DSA-265 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 1
- Mozilla Bonsai 1.3 - Full Path Disclosure EDB-21730 · webapps · Aug 20, 2002 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 1
- DSA-265 bonsai - several vulnerabilities Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 20020819 Advisory: Bonsai XSS and Physical Path Revealing Vulnerabilities mailing-list
- http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=187230
- DSA-265 vendor-advisory
- bonsai-path-disclosure(9921) vdb-entry
- 5517 vdb-entry