Vulnerabilities
Misconfiguration
Compliance
CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2008-4993

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

Published: Nov 07, 2008 | Modified: Apr 09, 2025
CVSS 3.x
N/A
Source:
NVD
CVSS 2.x
6.9 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu
LOW
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Additional information
NVDhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-4993
CWEhttps://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/59.html

qemu-dm.debug in Xen 3.2.1 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the /tmp/args 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

NameVendorStart VersionEnd Version
XenXen3.2.1 (including)3.2.1 (including)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5RedHatxen-0:3.0.3-64.el5_2.9*
XenUbuntudapper*
Xen-3.1Ubuntugutsy*
Xen-3.1Ubuntuhardy*
Xen-3.1Ubuntuintrepid*
Xen-3.2Ubuntuhardy*
Xen-3.3Ubuntuintrepid*
Xen-3.3Ubuntujaunty*
Xen-3.3Ubuntukarmic*
Xen-3.3Ubuntulucid*
Xen-3.3Ubuntumaverick*
Xen-3.3Ubuntunatty*

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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