CVE-2024-54661

readline.sh in socat before1.8.0.2 relies on the /tmp/$USER/stderr2 file.

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

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.

Related Attack Patterns

• https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/27.html

References

• http://www.dest-unreach.org/socat/contrib/socat-secadv9.html
• https://repo.or.cz/socat.git/blob/6ff391324d2d3b9f6bfb58e7d16a20be43b47af7:/readline.sh#l29