Vulnerabilities
Misconfiguration
Compliance
CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2008-5256

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

Published: Nov 27, 2008 | Modified: Apr 09, 2025
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
LOW
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Additional information
NVDhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-5256
CWEhttps://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/59.html

The AcquireDaemonLock function in ipcdUnix.cpp in Sun Innotek VirtualBox before 2.0.6 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a /tmp/.vbox-$USER-ipc/lock 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
VirtualoxVirtualox*2.0.4 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.3.2 (including)1.3.2 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.3.4 (including)1.3.4 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.3.6 (including)1.3.6 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.3.8 (including)1.3.8 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.4.0 (including)1.4.0 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.5.0 (including)1.5.0 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.5.2 (including)1.5.2 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.5.4 (including)1.5.4 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.5.6 (including)1.5.6 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.6.0 (including)1.6.0 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.6.2 (including)1.6.2 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.6.4 (including)1.6.4 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox1.6.6 (including)1.6.6 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox2.0.0 (including)2.0.0 (including)
VirtualoxVirtualox2.0.2 (including)2.0.2 (including)
Virtualbox-oseUbuntugutsy*
Virtualbox-oseUbuntuhardy*
Virtualbox-oseUbuntuintrepid*
Virtualbox-oseUbuntuupstream*

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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