Vulnerabilities
Misconfiguration
Compliance
CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2015-1196

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

Published: Jan 21, 2015 | Modified: Apr 12, 2025
CVSS 3.x
N/A
Source:
NVD
CVSS 2.x
4.3 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
RedHat/V2
3.6 MODERATE
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu
MEDIUM
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Additional information
NVDhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-1196
CWEhttps://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/59.html

GNU patch 2.7.1 allows remote attackers to write to arbitrary files via a symlink attack in a patch 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
OpensuseOpensuse13.1 (including)13.1 (including)
OpensuseOpensuse13.2 (including)13.2 (including)
PatchUbuntudevel*
PatchUbuntuesm-infra-legacy/trusty*
PatchUbuntutrusty*
PatchUbuntutrusty/esm*
PatchUbuntuupstream*
PatchUbuntuutopic*
PatchUbuntuvivid*

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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