CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2020-29074

Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource

Published: Nov 25, 2020 | Modified: Nov 07, 2023
CVSS 3.x
8.8
HIGH
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS 2.x
6.5 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu
MEDIUM

scan.c in x11vnc 0.9.16 uses IPC_CREAT|0777 in shmget calls, which allows access by actors other than the current user.

Weakness

The product specifies permissions for a security-critical resource in a way that allows that resource to be read or modified by unintended actors.

Affected Software

Name Vendor Start Version End Version
X11vnc X11vnc_project 0.9.16 (including) 0.9.16 (including)
X11vnc Ubuntu esm-apps/focal *
X11vnc Ubuntu focal *
X11vnc Ubuntu groovy *
X11vnc Ubuntu trusty *
X11vnc Ubuntu upstream *

Potential Mitigations

  • Run the code in a “jail” or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict which files can be accessed in a particular directory or which commands can be executed by the software.
  • OS-level examples include the Unix chroot jail, AppArmor, and SELinux. In general, managed code may provide some protection. For example, java.io.FilePermission in the Java SecurityManager allows the software to specify restrictions on file operations.
  • This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of the application may still be subject to compromise.
  • Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.

References