#VU40974 Path traversal in elfutils - CVE-2014-9447

Vulnerability identifier: #VU40974

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 2.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2014-9447

CWE-ID: CWE-22

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
elfutils
Server applications / File servers (FTP/HTTP)

Vendor: Sourceware

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to perform directory traversal attacks.

The vulnerability exists due to input validation error when processing directory traversal sequences in the read_long_names function in libelf/elf_begin.c in elfutils 0.152 and 0.161. A remote authenticated attacker can send a specially crafted HTTP request and remote attackers to write to arbitrary files to the root directory via a / (slash) in a crafted archive, as demonstrated using the ar program.

Mitigation
Cybersecurity Help is currently unaware of any official solution to address this vulnerability.

Vulnerable software versions

elfutils: 0.152 - 0.161

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External links
https://advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2015-0033.html
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-January/148321.html
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-January/148326.html
https://secunia.com/advisories/61934
https://secunia.com/advisories/62560
https://secunia.com/advisories/62661
https://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2015:047
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/12/29/2
https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/71804
https://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/elfutils.git/commit/?id=147018e729e7c22eeabf15b82d26e4bf68a0d18e
https://lists.fedorahosted.org/pipermail/elfutils-devel/2014-December/004499.html

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

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