Vulnerabilities
Misconfiguration
Compliance
CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2012-5564

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

Published: Feb 14, 2013 | Modified: Apr 11, 2025
CVSS 3.x
N/A
Source:
NVD
CVSS 2.x
3.3 LOW
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu
LOW
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Additional information
NVDhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-5564
CWEhttps://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/59.html

android-tools 4.1.1 in Android Debug Bridge (ADB) allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on /tmp/adb.log.

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
Android_debug_bridgeGoogle- (including)- (including)
Android-toolsUbuntuartful*
Android-toolsUbuntubionic*
Android-toolsUbuntucosmic*
Android-toolsUbuntudisco*
Android-toolsUbuntueoan*
Android-toolsUbuntuesm-apps/bionic*
Android-toolsUbuntuesm-infra/xenial*
Android-toolsUbuntuquantal*
Android-toolsUbunturaring*
Android-toolsUbuntusaucy*
Android-toolsUbuntutrusty*
Android-toolsUbuntuupstream*
Android-toolsUbuntuutopic*
Android-toolsUbuntuvivid*
Android-toolsUbuntuvivid/stable-phone-overlay*
Android-toolsUbuntuwily*
Android-toolsUbuntuxenial*
Android-toolsUbuntuyakkety*
Android-toolsUbuntuzesty*

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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