Vulnerabilities
Misconfiguration
Compliance
CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2009-4135

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

Published: Dec 11, 2009 | 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
1.2 LOW
AV:L/AC:H/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu
LOW
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Additional information
NVDhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-4135
CWEhttps://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/59.html

The distcheck rule in dist-check.mk in GNU coreutils 5.2.1 through 8.1 allows local users to gain privileges via a symlink attack on a file in a directory tree under /tmp.

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
Ubuntu_linuxCanonical10.04 (including)10.04 (including)
Ubuntu_linuxCanonical12.04 (including)12.04 (including)
Ubuntu_linuxCanonical14.04 (including)14.04 (including)
CoreutilsUbuntudapper*
CoreutilsUbuntuhardy*
CoreutilsUbuntuintrepid*
CoreutilsUbuntujaunty*
CoreutilsUbuntukarmic*
CoreutilsUbuntulucid*
CoreutilsUbuntumaverick*
CoreutilsUbuntunatty*
CoreutilsUbuntuoneiric*
CoreutilsUbuntuquantal*
CoreutilsUbunturaring*
CoreutilsUbuntusaucy*

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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