Vulnerabilities
Misconfiguration
Compliance
CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2014-9512

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

Published: Feb 12, 2015 | Modified: Apr 12, 2025
CVSS 3.x
N/A
Source:
NVD
CVSS 2.x
6.4 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P
RedHat/V2
4.3 MODERATE
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu
MEDIUM
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Additional information
NVDhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-9512
CWEhttps://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/59.html

rsync 3.1.1 allows remote attackers to write to arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a file in the synchronization path.

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
RsyncSamba3.1.1 (including)3.1.1 (including)
OpensuseOpensuse13.1 (including)13.1 (including)
OpensuseOpensuse13.2 (including)13.2 (including)
RsyncUbuntudevel*
RsyncUbuntuesm-infra-legacy/trusty*
RsyncUbuntulucid*
RsyncUbuntuprecise*
RsyncUbuntutrusty*
RsyncUbuntutrusty/esm*
RsyncUbuntuupstream*
RsyncUbuntuutopic*
RsyncUbuntuvivid*
RsyncUbuntuvivid/stable-phone-overlay*
RsyncUbuntuwily*

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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