CVE-2006-4245 in archivemail
Summary
by MITRE
archivemail 0.6.2 uses temporary files insecurely leading to a possible race condition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-4245 affects the archivemail utility version 0.6.2, which is commonly used for archiving email messages in Unix-like systems. This flaw stems from the insecure handling of temporary files during the archiving process, creating a potential race condition that could be exploited by malicious actors. The issue manifests when the application creates temporary files without proper security measures, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation or replacement by unauthorized users.
The technical flaw resides in the improper management of temporary file creation and usage within the archivemail application. When the utility generates temporary files to store intermediate data during email archiving operations, it does not implement adequate security controls such as secure temporary file creation with proper permissions or atomic file operations. This insecure practice creates a window of opportunity where an attacker can exploit the race condition by creating symbolic links or replacing temporary files with malicious content before the legitimate application processes them.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or unauthorized access. An attacker exploiting this race condition could potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running archivemail, which might be a system administrator or a regular user with email access. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in multi-user environments where the archivemail utility might be run with elevated privileges or where users have the ability to influence the email archiving process. The race condition could also lead to privilege escalation scenarios, especially if the application runs with higher privileges than the invoking user.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the CWE-377 weakness category, which addresses insecure temporary file handling, and the broader ATT&CK framework's technique T1059 for execution through command and scripting interpreters. The vulnerability aligns with the principle of least privilege violations and represents a classic example of how temporary file management flaws can create security holes in system utilities. Organizations should prioritize patching this vulnerability by upgrading to a newer version of archivemail that properly handles temporary file creation or implementing additional security controls such as secure temporary directory permissions and proper file access controls.
The remediation approach should involve immediate patching of the archivemail utility to a version that properly implements secure temporary file handling practices. System administrators should also conduct audits of all systems running archivemail or similar utilities to identify other potential race conditions in temporary file handling. Additionally, implementing proper file permissions and using secure temporary file creation methods such as mkstemp() or similar atomic operations can help prevent similar issues in other applications. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring and alerting for unusual temporary file creation patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.