CVE-2005-0787 in Wine
Summary
by MITRE
Wine 20050211 and earlier creates temp files with world readable permissions and predictable file names, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information, such as passwords.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/07/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-0787 represents a critical security flaw in the Wine compatibility layer software version 20050211 and earlier. This issue stems from improper file permission handling during the creation of temporary files, which creates a significant attack surface for local adversaries. The vulnerability specifically affects the way Wine manages temporary file creation processes, where the software generates temporary files with world-readable permissions and predictable naming conventions. This design flaw allows any local user on the system to access these temporary files and potentially extract sensitive information contained within them.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves Wine's temporary file management system failing to properly set file permissions during creation. When Wine creates temporary files, it does not enforce restrictive permissions that would prevent unauthorized access. Instead, these files are created with permissions that allow read access to all users on the system, making them vulnerable to exploitation by local attackers. Additionally, the predictable naming scheme means that attackers can easily guess or enumerate the temporary file names, further reducing the security barrier. This combination of predictable naming and permissive permissions creates a straightforward path for information disclosure attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can lead to credential compromise and broader system access. Local users who exploit this vulnerability can obtain passwords and other sensitive data that may be stored in these temporary files, potentially leading to privilege escalation or unauthorized access to systems. The vulnerability affects any local user on the system, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where users may have varying levels of access and privileges. This issue essentially creates a backdoor for local adversaries to gather intelligence about the system's operation and user activities, as temporary files often contain configuration data, session information, or authentication tokens that are critical to system security.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a classic example of improper file handling and privilege management, which aligns with CWE-732, which addresses inadequate permissions for critical resources. The flaw also demonstrates characteristics that could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1005, which covers data from local system storage, and T1059, which involves command and scripting interpreter execution. Organizations using Wine should immediately upgrade to versions that address this vulnerability, as the risk remains constant regardless of system usage patterns. The recommended mitigations include implementing proper file permission controls, using non-predictable temporary file naming schemes, and ensuring that temporary files are created with restrictive access permissions. System administrators should also consider implementing monitoring for unusual access patterns to temporary directories and conducting regular security audits to identify potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper resource management in compatibility layers and underscores the need for security-conscious development practices in software that interfaces with system resources.