CVE-2012-4453 in Red Hat
Summary
by MITRE
dracut.sh in dracut, as used in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Fedora 16 and 17, and possibly other products, creates initramfs images with world-readable permissions, which might allow local users to obtain sensitive information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4453 affects the dracut.sh script within the dracut utility, which is responsible for generating initramfs images in various Linux distributions including Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and Fedora versions 16 and 17. This issue represents a privilege escalation and information disclosure vulnerability that arises from improper file permission handling during the initramfs creation process. The vulnerability falls under the broader category of insecure file permissions, which is categorized as CWE-732 according to the Common Weakness Enumeration taxonomy. The core technical flaw lies in the script's failure to properly set restrictive permissions on generated initramfs files, resulting in world-readable access that exposes sensitive system information to unauthorized local users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure as it creates potential attack vectors for local adversaries who can leverage the readable initramfs images to extract kernel parameters, module information, and other system configuration details. These extracted artifacts can be instrumental in crafting more sophisticated attacks targeting the underlying system, including kernel exploitation attempts or privilege escalation mechanisms. The vulnerability particularly affects systems where dracut is used to generate boot images, making it relevant to enterprise environments that rely on these distribution mechanisms for system initialization and boot processes. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1068 (Local Privilege Escalation) and T1082 (System Information Discovery) techniques, as it enables both information gathering and potential privilege escalation paths.
The root cause of this issue stems from the dracut.sh script's inadequate implementation of file permission management during initramfs creation. When the script generates the initramfs image, it fails to properly restrict file access permissions, allowing any local user to read the contents of these sensitive boot images. This misconfiguration creates a persistent security weakness that remains active until patched, as the vulnerable code path is executed during normal system boot image generation processes. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because initramfs images contain critical system information including kernel command line parameters, module dependencies, and potentially sensitive configuration data that could aid attackers in understanding system internals. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability aligns with the principle of least privilege violations and represents a failure in secure coding practices for permission management. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations by ensuring proper file permissions are enforced during initramfs generation and by monitoring for unauthorized access to system boot images. The fix typically involves updating the dracut package to a version that properly implements restrictive permissions on generated initramfs files, thereby preventing unauthorized access to sensitive system information that could otherwise be exploited by local attackers.