CVE-2001-0886 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in glob function of glibc allows attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a glob pattern that ends in a brace "{" character.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2001-0886 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the glob function of the GNU C Library glibc. This issue specifically manifests when processing glob patterns that conclude with a brace character "{", creating a condition where insufficient input validation leads to memory corruption. The flaw exists at the core of how glibc handles file name expansion patterns, making it a fundamental security weakness in Unix-like operating systems that rely on this standard library implementation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper boundary checking within the glob function's pattern parsing logic. When the glob function encounters a pattern ending with "{", the internal buffer allocation fails to account for the additional characters that may be processed during brace expansion, leading to a classic buffer overflow condition. This overflow can overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting program state or executing malicious code. The vulnerability operates under CWE-121 which classifies buffer overflow conditions, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter to demonstrate how such flaws can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to include potential remote code execution capabilities. Systems utilizing glibc's glob function for file pattern matching become susceptible to exploitation when processing untrusted input, particularly in applications that handle user-supplied glob patterns. This includes shell environments, file management utilities, and any software components that invoke glob functionality without proper input sanitization. The vulnerability affects numerous Unix and Linux distributions that depend on the affected glibc version, creating widespread exposure across enterprise and consumer systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2001-0886 require immediate patching of affected glibc versions through official distribution updates. System administrators should prioritize applying security patches from their respective vendors to address the buffer overflow condition. Additionally, input validation measures should be implemented at application layers to sanitize glob patterns before processing, particularly when handling user-provided data. Network segmentation and privilege separation can help limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual glob pattern processing activities that may indicate attempted exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date system libraries and implementing comprehensive input validation practices to prevent buffer overflow exploitation techniques.