Vulnerabilities
Misconfiguration
Compliance
CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2016-9602

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

Published: Apr 26, 2018 | Modified: Nov 21, 2024
CVSS 3.x
8.8
HIGH
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS 2.x
9 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C
RedHat/V2
6.5 IMPORTANT
AV:A/AC:H/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C
RedHat/V3
7.6 IMPORTANT
CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Ubuntu
MEDIUM
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Additional information
NVDhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9602
CWEhttps://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/59.html

Qemu before version 2.9 is vulnerable to an improper link following when built with the VirtFS. A privileged user inside guest could use this flaw to access host file system beyond the shared folder and potentially escalating their privileges on a host.

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
QemuQemu*2.9 (excluding)
QemuUbuntuartful*
QemuUbuntubionic*
QemuUbuntucosmic*
QemuUbuntudevel*
QemuUbuntudisco*
QemuUbuntueoan*
QemuUbuntuesm-infra-legacy/trusty*
QemuUbuntuesm-infra/bionic*
QemuUbuntuesm-infra/focal*
QemuUbuntuesm-infra/xenial*
QemuUbuntufocal*
QemuUbuntugroovy*
QemuUbuntuhirsute*
QemuUbuntutrusty*
QemuUbuntutrusty/esm*
QemuUbuntuupstream*
QemuUbuntuxenial*
QemuUbuntuyakkety*
QemuUbuntuzesty*
Qemu-kvmUbuntuprecise*
Qemu-kvmUbuntuprecise/esm*
Qemu-kvmUbuntuupstream*

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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