CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2008-4190

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

Published: Sep 24, 2008 | Modified: Jul 29, 2019
CVSS 3.x
N/A
Source:
NVD
CVSS 2.x
4.4 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu

The IPSEC livetest tool in Openswan 2.4.12 and earlier, and 2.6.x through 2.6.16, allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files and execute arbitrary code via a symlink attack on the (1) ipseclive.conn and (2) ipsec.olts.remote.log temporary files. NOTE: in many distributions and the upstream version, this tool has been disabled.

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

Name Vendor Start Version End Version
Openswan Openswan 1.0.4 (including) 1.0.4 (including)
Openswan Openswan 1.0.5 (including) 1.0.5 (including)
Openswan Openswan 1.0.6 (including) 1.0.6 (including)
Openswan Openswan 1.0.7 (including) 1.0.7 (including)
Openswan Openswan 1.0.8 (including) 1.0.8 (including)
Openswan Openswan 1.0.9 (including) 1.0.9 (including)
Openswan Openswan 2.1.1 (including) 2.1.1 (including)
Openswan Openswan 2.1.2 (including) 2.1.2 (including)
Openswan Openswan 2.1.4 (including) 2.1.4 (including)
Openswan Openswan 2.1.5 (including) 2.1.5 (including)
Openswan Openswan 2.1.6 (including) 2.1.6 (including)
Openswan Openswan 2.2 (including) 2.2 (including)
Openswan Openswan 2.3 (including) 2.3 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.3.1 (including) 2.3.1 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.0 (including) 2.4.0 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.1 (including) 2.4.1 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.2 (including) 2.4.2 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.3 (including) 2.4.3 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.4 (including) 2.4.4 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.5 (including) 2.4.5 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.6 (including) 2.4.6 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.7 (including) 2.4.7 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.8 (including) 2.4.8 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.9 (including) 2.4.9 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.10 (including) 2.4.10 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.11 (including) 2.4.11 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.4.12 (including) 2.4.12 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.03 (including) 2.6.03 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.04 (including) 2.6.04 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.05 (including) 2.6.05 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.06 (including) 2.6.06 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.07 (including) 2.6.07 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.08 (including) 2.6.08 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.09 (including) 2.6.09 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.10 (including) 2.6.10 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.11 (including) 2.6.11 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.12 (including) 2.6.12 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.13 (including) 2.6.13 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.14 (including) 2.6.14 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.15 (including) 2.6.15 (including)
Openswan Xelerance 2.6.16 (including) 2.6.16 (including)

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