CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2021-44038

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

Published: Nov 19, 2021 | Modified: Jul 12, 2022
CVSS 3.x
7.8
HIGH
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS 2.x
7.2 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu

An issue was discovered in Quagga through 1.2.4. Unsafe chown/chmod operations in the suggested spec file allow users (with control of the non-root-owned directory /etc/quagga) to escalate their privileges to root upon package installation or update.

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
Quagga Quagga * 1.2.4 (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