CVE-2012-1093

The init script in the Debian x11-common package before 1:7.6+12 is vulnerable to a symlink attack that can lead to a privilege escalation during package installation.

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

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.

Related Attack Patterns

• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/132.html
• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/17.html
• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/35.html
• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/76.html

References

• http://vladz.devzero.fr/012_x11-common-vuln.html
• http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/02/29/1
• http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/01/1
• https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2012-1093
• https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf9fa47ab66495c78bb4120b0754dd9531ca2ff0430f6685ac9b07772%40%3Cdev.mina.apache.org%3E
• https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2012-1093