Privilege escalation in libxfont

1) Privilege escalation

EUVDB-ID: #VU9524

Risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 1.1 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2017-16611

CWE-ID: CWE-264 - Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local attacker to gain elevated privileges on the target system.

The weakness exists due to improper privileges control. A local attacker can open (but not read) files on the system as root, triggering tape rewinds, watchdogs, or similar mechanisms that can be triggered by opening files.

Mitigation

Update to version 1.5.4 or 2.0.3.

Vulnerable software versions

libXfont: 1.1.0 - 2.0.2

CPE2.3

• cpe:2.3:a:x_org:libxfont:1.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:x_org:libxfont:1.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:x_org:libxfont:1.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

External links

https://marc.info/?l=freedesktop-xorg-announce&m=151188049718337&w=2
https://marc.info/?l=freedesktop-xorg-announce&m=151188044218304&w=2

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.