CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2023-41968

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

Published: Sep 27, 2023 | Modified: Nov 07, 2023
CVSS 3.x
5.5
MEDIUM
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CVSS 2.x
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu

This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. This issue is fixed in macOS Ventura 13.6, tvOS 17, macOS Monterey 12.7, watchOS 10, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14. An app may be able to read arbitrary files.

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
Ipados Apple * 17.0 (excluding)
Iphone_os Apple * 17.0 (excluding)
Macos Apple 12.0.0 (including) 12.7 (excluding)
Macos Apple 13.0 (including) 13.6 (excluding)
Tvos Apple * 17.0 (excluding)
Watchos Apple * 10.0 (excluding)

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