Gentoo alert: GNU Automake symbolic link vulnerability

Posted by dave on Apr 8, 2004 6:19 AM EDT
Mailing list; By Kurt Lieber <klieber@gentoo.org>
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Automake may be vulnerable to a symbolic link attack which may allow an attacker to modify data or elevate their privileges.

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Gentoo Linux Security Advisory                           GLSA 200404-08
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                                             http://security.gentoo.org
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Severity: High Title: GNU Automake symbolic link vulnerability

Date: April 08, 2004 Bugs: #45646 ID: 200404-08

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Synopsis ========

Automake may be vulnerable to a symbolic link attack which may allow an attacker to modify data or elevate their privileges.

Background ==========

Automake is a tool for automatically generating 'Makefile.in' files which is often used in conjuction with Autoconf and other GNU Autotools to ease portability among applications. It also provides a standardized and light way of writing complex Makefiles through the use of many built-in macros.

Affected packages =================

------------------------------------------------------------------- Package / Vulnerable / Unaffected ------------------------------------------------------------------- sys-devel/automake < 1.8.3 >= 1.8.3

Description ===========

Automake may be vulnerable to a symbolic link attack which may allow an attacker to modify data or escalate their privileges. This is due to the insecure way Automake creates directories during compilation. An attacker may be able to create symbolic links in the place of files contained in the affected directories, which may potentially lead to elevated privileges due to modification of data.

Impact ======

An attacker may be able to use this vulnerability to modify data in an unauthorized fashion or elevate their privileges.

Workaround ==========

A workaround is not currently known for this issue. All users are advised to upgrade to the latest version of the affected package.

Resolution ==========

Automake users should upgrade to version 1.8.3 or later:

# emerge sync

# emerge -pv ">=sys-devel/automake-1.8.3" # emerge ">=sys-devel/automake-1.8.3"

Concerns? =========

Security is a primary focus of Gentoo Linux and ensuring the confidentiality and security of our users machines is of utmost importance to us. Any security concerns should be addressed to [e-mail:security@gentoo.org] or alternatively, you may file a bug at http://bugs.gentoo.org.
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