CVE-2013-1065 in Jockey
Summary
by MITRE
backend.py in Jockey before 0.9.7-0ubuntu7.11 does not properly use D-Bus for communication with a polkit authority, which allows local users to bypass intended access restrictions by leveraging a PolkitUnixProcess PolkitSubject race condition via a (1) setuid process or (2) pkexec process, a related issue to CVE-2013-4288.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/28/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2013-1065 affects Jockey version 0.9.7-0ubuntu7.10 and earlier, specifically within the backend.py component that handles communication with the polkit authority through D-Bus mechanisms. This flaw represents a critical security weakness in the Ubuntu desktop environment's hardware driver management system, where the software fails to properly enforce access controls when interacting with the PolicyKit authorization framework. The issue stems from improper handling of D-Bus communication patterns that should have prevented unauthorized privilege escalation by local attackers who can manipulate the polkit authorization process.
The technical root cause involves a race condition within the PolkitSubject handling when dealing with PolkitUnixProcess objects, specifically manifesting when Jockey attempts to communicate with the polkit authority through D-Bus. This race condition occurs during the validation process where the system fails to properly verify the authenticity of processes attempting to perform privileged operations. When a local user executes either a setuid process or utilizes pkexec to escalate privileges, the D-Bus communication pathway in backend.py does not adequately validate the process context, allowing malicious actors to exploit this timing window to bypass intended access restrictions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages legitimate system mechanisms while exploiting implementation flaws in the authorization flow.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables local privilege escalation attacks that can be executed by any user with access to the system. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gain elevated privileges without requiring authentication or specific malicious software installation. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of Jockey, which is responsible for managing hardware drivers and system configuration changes that typically require administrative privileges. This creates a scenario where a regular user can potentially bypass system security controls and perform operations that should be restricted to administrators, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
The security implications extend beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass broader system integrity concerns, as this vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate system configurations that should remain protected from unauthorized access. The flaw aligns with CWE-362, which describes a race condition vulnerability where the system's authorization mechanisms fail to properly validate process contexts during critical operations. This vulnerability also relates to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers privilege escalation through local exploitation of system vulnerabilities, and T1548.002, which involves abuse of system permissions and access controls. Organizations running affected versions of Jockey should implement immediate mitigations including applying the security patch that updates the backend.py component to properly handle D-Bus communication with polkit authority.
The mitigation strategy involves updating to Jockey version 0.9.7-0ubuntu7.11 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to properly handle D-Bus communication patterns and eliminate the race condition in PolkitSubject processing. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security measures such as monitoring for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts and ensuring that all system components are regularly updated to address known vulnerabilities. The fix addresses the underlying D-Bus communication issue by properly validating process contexts and ensuring that authorization decisions are made before any privileged operations are executed, thereby preventing the race condition that allowed attackers to bypass access restrictions.