#VU69301 UNIX symbolic link following in sendmail - CVE-2022-31256

Vulnerability identifier: #VU69301

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-2022-31256

CWE-ID: CWE-61

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
sendmail
Operating systems & Components / Operating system package or component

Vendor: SUSE

Description

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

The vulnerability exists due to a symlink following issue in a script called by the sendmail systemd service. A local user can create a specially crafted symbolic link to a critical file on the system and escalate privileges from mail to root.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

sendmail: before 8.14.9-4.6.1

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External links
https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1204696

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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.