CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2017-7418

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

Published: Apr 04, 2017 | Modified: Aug 08, 2019
CVSS 3.x
5.5
MEDIUM
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
CVSS 2.x
2.1 LOW
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu

ProFTPD before 1.3.5e and 1.3.6 before 1.3.6rc5 controls whether the home directory of a user could contain a symbolic link through the AllowChrootSymlinks configuration option, but checks only the last path component when enforcing AllowChrootSymlinks. Attackers with local access could bypass the AllowChrootSymlinks control by replacing a path component (other than the last one) with a symbolic link. The threat model includes an attacker who is not granted full filesystem access by a hosting provider, but can reconfigure the home directory of an FTP user.

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
Proftpd Proftpd * 1.3.5 (including)
Proftpd Proftpd 1.3.6 (including) 1.3.6 (including)
Proftpd Proftpd 1.3.6-rc1 (including) 1.3.6-rc1 (including)
Proftpd Proftpd 1.3.6-rc2 (including) 1.3.6-rc2 (including)
Proftpd Proftpd 1.3.6-rc3 (including) 1.3.6-rc3 (including)
Proftpd Proftpd 1.3.6-rc4 (including) 1.3.6-rc4 (including)

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