CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2017-18188

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

Published: Feb 14, 2018 | Modified: Mar 09, 2018
CVSS 3.x
5.5
MEDIUM
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CVSS 2.x
2.1 LOW
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu

OpenRC opentmpfiles through 0.1.3, when the fs.protected_hardlinks sysctl is turned off, allows local users to obtain ownership of arbitrary files by creating a hard link inside a directory on which chown -R will be run.

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

Name Vendor Start Version End Version
Opentmpfiles Openr * 0.1.3

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