CVE-2012-5628 in gofer
Summary
by MITRE
gofer before 0.68 uses world-writable permissions for /var/lib/gofer/journal/watchdog, which allows local users to cause a denial of service by removing journal entries.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/02/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-5628 affects the gofer package version 0.68 and earlier, presenting a significant security weakness in the handling of file permissions within the application's journal management system. This issue stems from the improper configuration of permissions for the /var/lib/gofer/journal/watchdog directory, which is designated as world-writable. The flaw represents a classic case of insufficient access control and privilege management, where system components are inadvertently exposed to unauthorized modification by local users who should not possess such capabilities. The root cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-732, which specifically addresses Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resources, and demonstrates how inadequate permission settings can create attack vectors for privilege escalation and service disruption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows local attackers to exploit the world-writable nature of the watchdog directory to remove critical journal entries from the system. This manipulation capability directly translates into a denial of service condition, where the integrity and availability of the logging and monitoring functions are compromised. When an attacker removes journal entries, they effectively disrupt the system's ability to maintain proper audit trails and operational logs, which can lead to complete service unavailability or significant degradation of system monitoring capabilities. The impact extends beyond simple file deletion since the watchdog mechanism is designed to maintain system health and operational status, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in production environments where reliable logging and monitoring are essential for system stability.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a substantial risk for system administrators who rely on gofer for managing system services and monitoring operations. The local user privilege escalation aspect means that any user with access to the system can potentially cause service disruption without requiring elevated privileges, making this a particularly insidious threat. The vulnerability can be exploited to create false negatives in system monitoring, where critical events are silently removed from logs, and can also be used to cover malicious activities by deleting evidence of unauthorized access attempts. This threat vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1070.004, which covers "File Deletion" as part of the indicator removal tactics, and demonstrates how seemingly minor permission issues can create significant operational security concerns.
The recommended mitigations for this vulnerability include immediate patching of the gofer package to version 0.68 or later, where the permission settings have been corrected to prevent world-writable access to critical directories. System administrators should also implement regular permission audits to identify and correct similar issues across other system components, ensuring that sensitive directories and files maintain appropriate access controls. Additionally, monitoring and alerting systems should be enhanced to detect unauthorized modifications to critical system directories, providing early warning capabilities when such violations occur. The remediation process should include verification that the watchdog directory permissions have been properly configured to restrict write access to authorized system processes only, preventing any local user from modifying the journal entries that are essential for system monitoring and operational integrity.