Vulnerabilities
Misconfiguration
Compliance
CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2008-4108

Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

Published: Sep 18, 2008 | Modified: Apr 09, 2025
CVSS 3.x
N/A
Source:
NVD
CVSS 2.x
7.2 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu
NEGLIGIBLE
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Additional information
NVDhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-4108
CWEhttps://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/59.html

Tools/faqwiz/move-faqwiz.sh (aka the generic FAQ wizard moving tool) in Python 2.4.5 might allow local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a tmp$RANDOM.tmp temporary file. NOTE: there may not be common usage scenarios in which tmp$RANDOM.tmp is located in an untrusted directory.

Weakness

The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

Affected Software

NameVendorStart VersionEnd Version
PythonPython_software_foundation2.4.5 (including)2.4.5 (including)
Python2.4Ubuntudapper*
Python2.4Ubuntuhardy*
Python2.4Ubuntuupstream*
Python2.5Ubuntuhardy*
Python2.5Ubuntuupstream*
Python2.6Ubuntuupstream*

Potential Mitigations

  • Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
  • Denying access to a file can prevent an attacker from replacing that file with a link to a sensitive file. Ensure good compartmentalization in the system to provide protected areas that can be trusted.

References

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