#VU76017 UNIX symbolic link following in open-vm-tools (Red Hat package) - CVE-2014-4199

Vulnerability identifier: #VU76017

Vulnerability risk: Low

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

CVE-ID: CVE-2014-4199

CWE-ID: CWE-61

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
open-vm-tools (Red Hat package)
Operating systems & Components / Operating system package or component

Vendor: Red Hat Inc.

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The vulnerability exists due to a symlink following issue. A local user can create a specially crafted symbolic link to a file in the "/tmp" folder and overwrite it, causing a denial of service condition.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

open-vm-tools (Red Hat package): before 9.10.2-4.el7

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External links
https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2014/Aug/71
https://www.securitytracker.com/id/1030758
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/95493

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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.