CVE-2010-3384 in torcs
Summary
by MITRE
The (1) torcs, (2) nfsperf, (3) accc, (4) texmapper, (5) trackgen, and (6) nfs2ac scripts in TORCS 1.3.1 place a zero-length directory name in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH, which allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse shared library in the current working directory.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/27/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3384 affects the TORCS (The Open Racing Car Simulator) 1.3.1 software suite, specifically targeting several utility scripts including torcs, nfsperf, accc, texmapper, trackgen, and nfs2ac. This issue represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability that exploits improper environment variable handling within the software's execution context. The flaw manifests when these scripts execute with a zero-length directory name in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable, creating a dangerous condition where the system's library loading mechanism may inadvertently load malicious shared libraries from the current working directory.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in how the scripts construct the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable during execution. When a zero-length directory component is included in the library path, the dynamic linker interprets this as the current working directory, allowing any shared library named identically to a required system library to be loaded from the current directory rather than from the intended system locations. This behavior directly violates the principle of least privilege and creates a pathway for local privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability is classified as a weakness in the software's environment variable manipulation, aligning with CWE-428 and CWE-78 vulnerabilities that relate to improper environment handling and command injection risks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. Local users who can manipulate the current working directory where these scripts are executed can place malicious shared libraries that will be loaded in place of legitimate system libraries. This creates a persistent threat vector where an attacker can maintain access even after the initial exploitation, as the malicious library will be loaded every time the vulnerable script is executed. The vulnerability affects the entire TORCS suite, making it particularly concerning for systems where multiple users may have access to these scripts or where the software is used in environments with varying user permissions.
The attack surface is significantly expanded due to the nature of these scripts being part of a comprehensive racing simulation suite that may be installed in various environments including development systems, gaming platforms, and educational institutions. The vulnerability can be exploited through simple file placement attacks where an attacker places a malicious shared library in the directory from which the script is executed, bypassing normal security controls that would normally prevent such privilege escalation. This weakness directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1068 which involves privilege escalation through the exploitation of system-level vulnerabilities, and T1546 which covers the creation of malicious shared libraries for privilege escalation. System administrators should implement immediate mitigations including restricting write permissions on directories containing these scripts, implementing proper environment variable sanitization, and ensuring that the LD_LIBRARY_PATH is constructed without zero-length directory components to prevent exploitation. Regular security audits should also verify that similar vulnerabilities exist in other software components and that proper privilege separation mechanisms are in place to contain potential exploitation attempts.