Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-59

Allowed

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

Abstraction: Base · Status: Draft

API response cwe.mitre.org

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.

862 vulnerabilities reference this CWE, most recent first.

CVE-2014-1420 (GCVE-0-2014-1420)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2020-09-10 23:55 – Updated: 2024-09-16 17:08
VLAI
Title
Insecure temp file usage in Ubuntu UI toolkit
Summary
On desktop, Ubuntu UI Toolkit's StateSaver would serialise data on tmp/ files which an attacker could use to expose potentially sensitive data. StateSaver would also open files without the O_EXCL flag. An attacker could exploit this to launch a symlink attack, though this is partially mitigated by symlink and hardlink restrictions in Ubuntu. Fixed in 1.1.1188+14.10.20140813.4-0ubuntu1.
Severity
3.8 (Low)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N
CWE
  • CWE-59 - Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Assigner
canonical CNA
References
URL Tags
https://launchpad.net/bugs/1348241 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTU
http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-sdk-team/ubun… vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTU
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version
Canonical ubuntu-ui-toolkit Affected: 1.1.1188 , < 1.1.1188+14.10.20140813.4-0ubuntu1 (custom)
Create a notification for this product.
Date Public
2014-07-24 00:00
Credits
Olivier Tilloy
Show details on NVD website
To clipboard 

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CVE-2013-0261 (GCVE-0-2013-0261)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2013-03-08 21:00 – Updated: 2026-10-30 18:03
VLAI
Title
Packstack: packstack: arbitrary file overwrite via symlink attack
Summary
A flaw was found in PackStack. A local user could exploit a symlink attack on a temporary file with a predictable name in the `/tmp` directory. This vulnerability allows the local user to overwrite arbitrary files on the system, potentially leading to system compromise or data corruption.
Severity
8.8 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CWE
  • CWE-59 - Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Assigner
redhat CNA
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version
Red Hat OpenStack Folsom for RHEL 6 Unaffected: 0:2012.2.2-1.0.dev408.el6ost , < * (rpm)
    cpe:/a:redhat:openstack:2::el6
Create a notification for this product.
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 5 (Icehouse)     cpe:/a:redhat:openstack:5::el6
Create a notification for this product.
Red Hat Red Hat OpenStack Platform 4     cpe:/a:redhat:openstack:4
Create a notification for this product.
Date Public
2013-03-08 21:00
Show details on NVD website
To clipboard 

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Mitigation MIT-48.1
Architecture and Design

Strategy: Separation of Privilege

  • 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.
CAPEC-132: Symlink Attack

An adversary positions a symbolic link in such a manner that the targeted user or application accesses the link's endpoint, assuming that it is accessing a file with the link's name.

CAPEC-17: Using Malicious Files

An attack of this type exploits a system's configuration that allows an adversary to either directly access an executable file, for example through shell access; or in a possible worst case allows an adversary to upload a file and then execute it. Web servers, ftp servers, and message oriented middleware systems which have many integration points are particularly vulnerable, because both the programmers and the administrators must be in synch regarding the interfaces and the correct privileges for each interface.

CAPEC-35: Leverage Executable Code in Non-Executable Files

An attack of this type exploits a system's trust in configuration and resource files. When the executable loads the resource (such as an image file or configuration file) the attacker has modified the file to either execute malicious code directly or manipulate the target process (e.g. application server) to execute based on the malicious configuration parameters. Since systems are increasingly interrelated mashing up resources from local and remote sources the possibility of this attack occurring is high.

CAPEC-76: Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls

An attacker manipulates inputs to the target software which the target software passes to file system calls in the OS. The goal is to gain access to, and perhaps modify, areas of the file system that the target software did not intend to be accessible.

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