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

ID: 59Date: (C)2012-05-14   (M)2022-10-10
Type: weaknessStatus: DRAFT
Abstraction Type: Base





Description

The software 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.

Likelihood of Exploit: Low to Medium

Applicable Platforms
Language Class: All
Operating System Class: Sometimes
Operating System Class: Windows
Operating System Class: Often
Operating System Class: UNIX

Time Of Introduction

  • Implementation

Related Attack Patterns

Common Consequences

ScopeTechnical ImpactNotes
Confidentiality
Integrity
Access_Control
 
Read files or directories
Modify files or directories
Bypass protection mechanism
 
An attacker may be able to traverse the file system to unintended locations and read or overwrite the contents of unexpected files. If the files are used for a security mechanism than an attacker may be able to bypass the mechanism.
 

Detection Methods
None

Potential Mitigations

PhaseStrategyDescriptionEffectivenessNotes
Architecture and Design
 
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.
 
  

Relationships
Link following vulnerabilities are Multi-factor Vulnerabilities (MFV). They are the combination of multiple elements: file or directory permissions, filename predictability, race conditions, and in some cases, a design limitation in which there is no mechanism for performing atomic file creation operations.
Some potential factors are race conditions, permissions, and predictability.

Related CWETypeViewChain
CWE-59 ChildOf CWE-893 Category CWE-888  

Demonstrative Examples
None

Observed Examples

  1. CVE-1999-1386 : Some versions of Perl follows symbolic links when running with the -e option, which allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack.
  2. CVE-2000-1178 : Text editor follows symbolic links when creating a rescue copy during an abnormal exit, which allows local users to overwrite the files of other users.
  3. CVE-2004-0217 : Antivirus update allows local users to create or append to arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a logfile.
  4. CVE-2003-0517 : Symlink attack allows local users to overwrite files.
  5. CVE-2004-0689 : Window manager does not properly handle when certain symbolic links point to "stale" locations, which could allow local users to create or truncate arbitrary files.
  6. CVE-2005-1879 : Second-order symlink vulnerabilities
  7. CVE-2005-1880 : Second-order symlink vulnerabilities
  8. CVE-2005-1916 : Symlink in Python program
  9. CVE-2000-0972 : Setuid product allows file reading by replacing a file being edited with a symlink to the targeted file, leaking the result in error messages when parsing fails.
  10. CVE-2005-0824 : Signal causes a dump that follows symlinks.
  11. CVE-2001-1494 : Hard link attack, file overwrite; interesting because program checks against soft links
  12. CVE-2002-0793 : Hard link and possibly symbolic link following vulnerabilities in embedded operating system allow local users to overwrite arbitrary files.
  13. CVE-2003-0578 : Server creates hard links and unlinks files as root, which allows local users to gain privileges by deleting and overwriting arbitrary files.
  14. CVE-1999-0783 : Operating system allows local users to conduct a denial of service by creating a hard link from a device special file to a file on an NFS file system.
  15. CVE-2004-1603 : Web hosting manager follows hard links, which allows local users to read or modify arbitrary files.
  16. CVE-2004-1901 : Package listing system allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a hard link attack on the lockfiles.
  17. CVE-2005-1111 : Hard link race condition
  18. CVE-2000-0342 : Mail client allows remote attackers to bypass the user warning for executable attachments such as .exe, .com, and .bat by using a .lnk file that refers to the attachment, aka "Stealth Attachment."
  19. CVE-2001-1042 : FTP server allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files and directories by uploading a .lnk (link) file that points to the target file.
  20. CVE-2001-1043 : FTP server allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files and directories by uploading a .lnk (link) file that points to the target file.
  21. CVE-2005-0587 : Browser allows remote malicious web sites to overwrite arbitrary files by tricking the user into downloading a .LNK (link) file twice, which overwrites the file that was referenced in the first .LNK file.
  22. CVE-2001-1386 : ".LNK." - .LNK with trailing dot
  23. CVE-2003-1233 : Rootkits can bypass file access restrictions to Windows kernel directories using NtCreateSymbolicLinkObject function to create symbolic link
  24. CVE-2002-0725 : File system allows local attackers to hide file usage activities via a hard link to the target file, which causes the link to be recorded in the audit trail instead of the target file.
  25. CVE-2003-0844 : Web server plugin allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on predictable temporary filenames.

For more examples, refer to CVE relations in the bottom box.

White Box Definitions
None

Black Box Definitions
None

Taxynomy Mappings

TaxynomyIdNameFit
PLOVER  Link Following
 
 
CERT C Secure Coding FIO02-C
 
Canonicalize path names originating from untrusted sources
 
 
CERT C Secure Coding POS01-C
 
Check for the existence of links when dealing with files
 
 
CERT C++ Secure Coding FIO02-CPP
 
Canonicalize path names originating from untrusted sources
 
 

References:

  1. Mark Dowd John McDonald Justin Schuh .The Art of Software Security Assessment 1st Edition. Addison Wesley. Section:'Chapter 9, "Symbolic Link Attacks", Page 518.'. Published on 2006.
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