Vulnerabilities
Misconfiguration
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CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2017-16611

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

Published: Dec 01, 2017 | Modified: Apr 20, 2025
CVSS 3.x
5.5
MEDIUM
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS 2.x
4.9 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
2.8 LOW
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:L
Ubuntu
MEDIUM
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Additional information
NVDhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16611
CWEhttps://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/59.html

In libXfont before 1.5.4 and libXfont2 before 2.0.3, a local attacker can open (but not read) files on the system as root, triggering tape rewinds, watchdogs, or similar mechanisms that can be triggered by opening files.

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
Debian_linuxDebian8.0 (including)8.0 (including)
Debian_linuxDebian9.0 (including)9.0 (including)
LibxfontUbuntuartful*
LibxfontUbuntudevel*
LibxfontUbuntuesm-infra-legacy/trusty*
LibxfontUbuntuesm-infra/xenial*
LibxfontUbuntutrusty*
LibxfontUbuntutrusty/esm*
LibxfontUbuntuupstream*
LibxfontUbuntuxenial*
LibxfontUbuntuzesty*
Libxfont1Ubuntuartful*
Libxfont1Ubuntudevel*
Libxfont1Ubuntuupstream*
Libxfont1Ubuntuzesty*
Libxfont2Ubuntuesm-infra/xenial*
Libxfont2Ubuntuupstream*
Libxfont2Ubuntuxenial*

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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