CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2008-4639

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

Published: Oct 21, 2008 | Modified: Dec 28, 2010
CVSS 3.x
N/A
Source:
NVD
CVSS 2.x
4.6 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu
LOW

jhead.c in Matthias Wandel jhead 2.84 and earlier allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a temporary file.

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
Jhead Sentex * 2.84 (including)
Jhead Sentex 1.2 (including) 1.2 (including)
Jhead Sentex 1.3 (including) 1.3 (including)
Jhead Sentex 1.4 (including) 1.4 (including)
Jhead Sentex 1.5 (including) 1.5 (including)
Jhead Sentex 1.6 (including) 1.6 (including)
Jhead Sentex 1.7 (including) 1.7 (including)
Jhead Sentex 1.8 (including) 1.8 (including)
Jhead Sentex 1.9 (including) 1.9 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.0 (including) 2.0 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.1 (including) 2.1 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.2 (including) 2.2 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.3 (including) 2.3 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.4 (including) 2.4 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.4-1 (including) 2.4-1 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.4-2 (including) 2.4-2 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.5 (including) 2.5 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.6 (including) 2.6 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.7 (including) 2.7 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.8 (including) 2.8 (including)
Jhead Sentex 2.82 (including) 2.82 (including)
Jhead Ubuntu dapper *
Jhead Ubuntu gutsy *
Jhead Ubuntu hardy *
Jhead Ubuntu upstream *

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