A UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following vulnerability in arpwatch of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11-SP4-LTSS, SUSE Manager Server 4.0, SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 9; openSUSE Factory, Leap 15.2 allows local attackers with control of the runtime user to run arpwatch as to escalate to root upon the next restart of arpwatch. This issue affects: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11-SP4-LTSS arpwatch versions prior to 2.1a15. SUSE Manager Server 4.0 arpwatch versions prior to 2.1a15. SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 9 arpwatch versions prior to 2.1a15. openSUSE Factory arpwatch version 2.1a15-169.5 and prior versions. openSUSE Leap 15.2 arpwatch version 2.1a15-lp152.5.5 and prior versions.
Weakness
The product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.
Affected Software
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arpwatch | Suse | * | 2.1a15 (excluding) |
| Arpwatch | Ubuntu | esm-apps/xenial | * |
| Arpwatch | Ubuntu | trusty | * |
| Arpwatch | Ubuntu | xenial | * |
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.