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

CVE-2009-5082

Low
3.3/10

Summary

The (1) configure and (2) config.guess scripts in GNU troff (aka groff) 1.20.1 on Openwall GNU/*/Linux (aka Owl) improperly create temporary files upon a failure of the mktemp function, which makes it easier for local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a temporary file.

  • MEDIUM
  • LOCAL
  • NONE
  • PARTIAL
  • NONE
  • PARTIAL

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