#VU79801 Improper Privilege Management in Apptainer - CVE-2023-38496

Vulnerability identifier: #VU79801

Vulnerability risk: Low

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

CVE-ID: CVE-2023-38496

CWE-ID: CWE-269

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Apptainer
Client/Desktop applications / Virtualization software

Vendor: The Apptainer Container Project

Description

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

The vulnerability exists due to application contains an ineffective privilege drop when requesting container network setup. A local user can delete any directory on the host filesystems.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Apptainer: 1.2.0

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External links
https://github.com/apptainer/apptainer/security/advisories/GHSA-mmx5-32m4-wxvx
https://github.com/apptainer/apptainer/pull/1523
https://github.com/apptainer/apptainer/pull/1578

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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.