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

CVE-2008-4977

Medium
6.9/10

Summary

postfix_groups.pl in Postfix 2.5.2 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the (1) /tmp/postfix_groups.stdout, (2) /tmp/postfix_groups.stderr, and (3) /tmp/postfix_groups.message temporary files. NOTE: the vendor disputes this vulnerability, stating "This is not a real issue ... users would have to edit a script under /usr/lib to enable it.

  • MEDIUM
  • LOCAL
  • NONE
  • COMPLETE
  • COMPLETE
  • COMPLETE

CWE-59 - Improper Link Resolution Before File Access

'Improper link resolution before file access' occurs when software accesses a file resource but fails to verify that the file isn't a link or shortcut to another file. An attacker can potentially gain access to arbitrary files and from there the impact can vary, depending on the application, from sensitive data exposure to remote code execution.

References

Advisory Timeline

  • Published