CVE-2005-2945 in arc
Summary
by MITRE
arc 5.21j and earlier create temporary files with world-readable permissions which allows local users to read sensitive information from files created by (1) arc (arc.c) or (2) marc (marc.c).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/10/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2945 affects the arc compression utility version 5.21j and earlier, presenting a critical security flaw in how temporary files are created and managed. This issue stems from improper permission settings during the creation of temporary files, allowing any local user on the system to access sensitive data that should remain restricted. The flaw specifically impacts two components within the arc suite: the primary arc utility and the marc utility, both of which are responsible for creating temporary files during their operation. The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the lack of proper file permission handling during temporary file creation, which violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and proper access control.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the arc and marc utilities execute their operations and generate temporary files in the filesystem. These temporary files are created with world-readable permissions, meaning that any user account on the system can read the contents of these files. This creates a significant information disclosure risk as the temporary files may contain sensitive data such as passwords, encryption keys, or other confidential information that was processed during the compression or archival operations. The flaw exists in both arc.c and marc.c source files, indicating that the issue is systemic within the software's temporary file handling mechanism and not isolated to a single component. This type of vulnerability is classified as a security misconfiguration that directly violates the principle of least privilege and proper file access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables local privilege escalation and data exfiltration attacks. Any local user can exploit this flaw to gain access to sensitive information that was processed by the affected utilities, potentially leading to compromise of user credentials, confidential data, or system secrets. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it does not require elevated privileges to exploit, making it accessible to any user account on the system. Attackers can leverage this weakness to gather intelligence about system users, applications, or services that might be running with the affected utilities. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource, which specifically addresses the issue of insufficient access control mechanisms for sensitive system resources.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1005: Data from Local System, as it enables adversaries to collect sensitive data from the local system through improperly secured temporary files. The vulnerability also relates to T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter, as attackers might use the acquired information to craft more sophisticated attacks against the system. The lack of proper temporary file permission management creates an attack surface that can be exploited for reconnaissance purposes, potentially leading to further compromise of the system. Organizations using affected versions of arc should consider this vulnerability as a potential entry point for attackers seeking to gather sensitive information or establish persistence within their environments. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe in multi-user environments where different users may have varying levels of access to sensitive data.
The recommended mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-2945 include immediate patching of the affected arc utilities to version 5.22 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for proper temporary file permission handling. System administrators should also implement proper file permission monitoring and auditing to detect similar issues in other applications. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other applications that may be creating temporary files with insecure permissions. The fix implemented in later versions ensures that temporary files are created with appropriate permissions that restrict access to the creating process only, preventing unauthorized access by other local users. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar permission-related vulnerabilities in system utilities and applications.