Privilege escalation in Phusion Passenger - CVE-2018-12026
Published: July 24, 2018
Vulnerability identifier: #VU13989
CSH Severity: Low
CVSS v4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear
CVE-ID: CVE-2018-12026
CWE-ID: CWE-264
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vendor: Phusion B.V.
Affected software:
Phusion Passenger
Phusion Passenger
Detailed vulnerability description
The vulnerability allows a local attacker to gain elevated privileges.
The vulnerability exists due to the SpawningKit subsystem of the affected software allows applications to replace key files or directories in the spawning communication directory with symbolic links. A local attacker can create a symbolic link designed to submit malicious input to a targeted system, execute read and write commands on arbitrary file paths on the system and use it to gain elevated privileges or access sensitive information.
How to mitigate CVE-2018-12026
Update to version 5.3.2.