GLSA 200404-08: GNU Automake symbolic link vulnerability
| Severity: | normal |
| Title: | GNU Automake symbolic link vulnerability |
| Date: | 04/08/2004 |
| Bugs: | |
| ID: | 200404-08 |
Synopsis
Automake may be vulnerable to a symbolic link attack which may allow an attacker to modify data or elevate their privileges.Background
Automake is a tool for automatically generating `Makefile.in' files which is often used in conjuction with Autoconf and other GNU Autotools to ease portability among applications. It also provides a standardized and light way of writing complex Makefiles through the use of many built-in macros.
Affected packages
| Package | Vulnerable | Unaffected | Architecture(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| sys-devel/automake | <= 1.8.5-r2 | >= 1.8.5-r3 | All supported architectures |
Description
Automake may be vulnerable to a symbolic link attack which may allow an attacker to modify data or escalate their privileges. This is due to the insecure way Automake creates directories during compilation. An attacker may be able to create symbolic links in the place of files contained in the affected directories, which may potentially lead to elevated privileges due to modification of data.
Impact
An attacker may be able to use this vulnerability to modify data in an unauthorized fashion or elevate their privileges.
Workaround
A workaround is not currently known for this issue. All users are advised to upgrade to the latest version of the affected package.
Resolution
Automake users should upgrade to the latest versions:
# emerge --sync
# emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose sys-devel/automake
References
Availability
This GLSA and any updates to it are available for viewing at the Gentoo Security Website:
Concerns?
Security is a primary focus of Gentoo Linux and ensuring the confidentiality and security of our users machines is of utmost importance to us. Any security concerns should be addressed to security@gentoo.org or alternatively, you may file a bug at https://bugs.gentoo.org.
License
Copyright 2010 Gentoo Foundation, Inc; referenced text belongs to its owner(s). The contents of this document are licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution / Share Alike license.