CVE-2013-7325 in devscripts
Summary
by MITRE
An issue exists in uscan in devscripts before 2.13.19, which could let a remote malicious user execute arbitrary code via a crafted tarball.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-7325 resides within the uscan utility component of the devscripts package, a collection of scripts used primarily for managing debian package source trees and automating various tasks related to package maintenance. This flaw affects versions of devscripts prior to 2.13.19 and represents a critical security weakness that could be exploited by remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution on systems running vulnerable versions. The uscan utility is designed to automatically check for new upstream releases of software packages and download them for inclusion in debian packages, making it a crucial component in the package management workflow of debian-based systems. The vulnerability manifests when uscan processes specially crafted tarball archives that contain malicious content, potentially allowing an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary commands on the target system.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the uscan utility's handling of archive files. When uscan encounters a tarball, it performs various operations including unpacking and processing of the archive contents to determine if the package has been updated. The flaw occurs in the way the utility processes symbolic links and file paths within the tarball, specifically failing to properly validate or sanitize the contents before executing any commands derived from these paths. This creates a path traversal and command injection scenario where maliciously crafted tarballs can contain specially constructed symbolic links or file paths that, when processed by uscan, result in unintended command execution. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-78 as a failure to properly sanitize system calls, specifically allowing command injection through the processing of untrusted archive contents.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution, as it can lead to complete system compromise when exploited by remote attackers. An attacker could craft a malicious tarball containing a specially formatted package that, when processed by uscan, would execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the user running uscan, typically a system administrator or build process user. This could result in unauthorized access to sensitive system resources, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, or even persistent backdoor installation. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered automatically by the package management system when it attempts to check for package updates, meaning that simply running uscan to check for new upstream releases could result in system compromise. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability by uploading malicious packages to public repositories or by compromising package maintainers' systems, making it a significant threat to the security of debian-based distributions and their users.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected systems, with administrators upgrading to devscripts version 2.13.19 or later where the vulnerability has been addressed. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as restricting network access to package repositories, implementing proper code review processes for package maintainers, and monitoring system logs for suspicious uscan activity. The fix implemented in version 2.13.19 includes enhanced input validation and sanitization of archive contents, particularly around symbolic link handling and path resolution during tarball processing. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of exploitation, as well as establishing automated monitoring for unusual uscan behavior. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter, specifically focusing on the execution of malicious commands through system call injection, and represents a classic example of how seemingly benign package management utilities can become attack vectors when proper input validation is absent.