CVE-2005-3148 in storebackup
Summary
by MITRE
storebackup before 1.19 does not properly set the uid and guid for symbolic links (1) that are backed up by storebackup.pl or (2) recovered by storebackuprecover.pl which could cause files to be restored with incorrect ownership.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-3148 affects the storebackup utility version 1.19 and earlier, specifically targeting the improper handling of symbolic link ownership during backup and restore operations. This flaw represents a critical issue in system security and file integrity management within Unix-like operating systems where proper file ownership is essential for maintaining secure access controls and system stability. The vulnerability stems from the failure of the backup utility to correctly set user and group identifiers for symbolic links during both backup and recovery processes.
The technical implementation flaw occurs when storebackup.pl creates backup archives containing symbolic links, or when storebackuprecover.pl restores these archives to their original locations. During these operations, the utility fails to properly assign the correct user identifier and group identifier to symbolic links, causing the restored files to inherit incorrect ownership attributes. This misconfiguration can result in symbolic links pointing to files that are owned by different users than intended, potentially creating security vulnerabilities where unauthorized users might gain access to resources they should not be able to access. The issue specifically manifests when symbolic links are processed through the backup and recovery pipelines, with the uid and guid not being properly preserved or set according to the original file ownership.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple file ownership issues to potentially compromise system security and integrity. When symbolic links are restored with incorrect ownership, it can create unexpected access patterns where files that should be restricted to specific users become accessible to others. This could enable privilege escalation attacks or allow unauthorized access to sensitive data and system resources. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in multi-user environments where strict access controls are essential for maintaining system security. Additionally, the improper ownership handling can lead to system stability issues when applications attempt to access files through symbolic links that have incorrect ownership attributes, potentially causing permission denied errors or unexpected behavior in applications that rely on proper file ownership for security checks.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which addresses improper file permissions and access control issues, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves exploiting local system permissions to gain elevated privileges. The flaw represents a significant security weakness that can be exploited by attackers who understand how symbolic link ownership affects system security. Organizations using affected versions of storebackup should prioritize immediate remediation through patching or updating to version 1.19 or later, which properly addresses the uid and guid handling for symbolic links. Alternative mitigations include implementing additional access control measures and monitoring for unauthorized file ownership changes, though these approaches only provide partial protection. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper file ownership handling in backup and recovery systems, where even seemingly minor issues can have significant security implications and affect overall system integrity.