CVE-2011-1136 in tesseract
Summary
by MITRE
In tesseract 2.03 and 2.04, an attacker can rewrite an arbitrary user file by guessing the PID and creating a link to the user's file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/14/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1136 resides within the tesseract optical character recognition software version 2.03 and 2.04, representing a significant security flaw that allows unauthorized file manipulation through a specific exploitation technique. This issue stems from improper handling of temporary files during the OCR processing workflow, creating a window of opportunity for malicious actors to exploit the system's file creation mechanisms.
The technical flaw manifests through a predictable temporary file naming convention that relies on process identification numbers as part of the filename structure. When tesseract processes documents, it creates temporary files in a predictable pattern that includes the process identifier, making it possible for an attacker to guess the exact filename and create symbolic links to target user files before the legitimate process attempts to write to them. This race condition vulnerability occurs because the software does not properly validate or secure the temporary file creation process, allowing for arbitrary file overwrite attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple file corruption, as it provides attackers with the capability to modify or replace critical user files with malicious content. An attacker could potentially replace configuration files, personal documents, or even system files with crafted data, leading to data integrity compromise, unauthorized access, or privilege escalation depending on the target file's permissions and location. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where attackers might target specific user accounts to gain persistent access or disrupt operations.
This flaw aligns with CWE-362, which describes a race condition vulnerability where concurrent operations can lead to unpredictable behavior, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for executing malicious code through command-line interfaces. The vulnerability also demonstrates characteristics of CWE-377, which addresses insecure temporary file handling, and CWE-276, concerning improper file permissions that could exacerbate the attack surface. Organizations using tesseract in production environments should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions, implementing proper file permission controls, and monitoring for suspicious file creation patterns.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal technical expertise and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous in environments where tesseract is used for batch processing or automated document handling. System administrators should consider implementing additional security controls such as restricting temporary file directory permissions, using secure temporary file creation methods, and monitoring for potential symbolic link creation attempts during OCR processing operations. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper temporary file handling in security-sensitive applications and serves as a reminder of the risks associated with predictable naming schemes in security-critical software components.