[ GLSA 200404-08 ] GNU Automake symbolic link vulnerability

[GLSA]

Gentoo Linux Security Advisory

Title: GNU Automake symbolic link vulnerability (GLSA 200404-08)
Severity: normal
Exploitable: local
Date: April 08, 2004
Updated: January 31, 2005
Bug(s): #45646
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: sys-devel/automake
Vulnerable: <= 1.8.5-r2
Unaffected: >= 1.8.5-r3
Unaffected: >= 1.7.9-r1 < 1.7.10
Unaffected: < 1.7
Architectures: 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: