#VU102313 UNIX symbolic link following in rclone - CVE-2024-52522

Vulnerability identifier: #VU102313

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.9 [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-2024-52522

CWE-ID: CWE-61

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
rclone
Other software / Other software solutions

Vendor: rclone.org

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to a symlink following issue when copying to local disk. A local user can create a specially crafted symbolic link to a critical file on the system and overwrite it with privileges of the application.

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may result in privilege escalation.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

rclone: 1.59.0 - 1.68.1

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External links
https://github.com/rclone/rclone/security/advisories/GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv
https://github.com/rclone/rclone/commit/01ccf204f42b4f68541b16843292439090a2dcf0

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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.