CVE-2014-0487 in apt
Summary
by MITRE
APT before 1.0.9 does not verify downloaded files if they have been modified as indicated using the If-Modified-Since header, which has unspecified impact and attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/20/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0487 affects APT package management systems prior to version 1.0.9, representing a critical flaw in the verification mechanisms designed to ensure software integrity. This weakness specifically targets the handling of HTTP conditional requests through the If-Modified-Since header, which is a standard mechanism used by web clients to determine whether a resource has been modified since a previous request. The vulnerability stems from the fact that APT fails to properly validate downloaded packages when the server indicates that a file has been modified, creating a potential attack surface where malicious actors could manipulate package contents without proper verification.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper implementation of HTTP response handling within the APT package manager's download and verification processes. When a package is requested and the server responds with an If-Modified-Since header indicating changes, APT should validate the integrity of the modified package against its expected checksums and signatures. However, this validation process was bypassed in affected versions, allowing attackers to potentially substitute modified packages with malicious payloads while maintaining the appearance of legitimate updates. This represents a failure in the principle of least privilege and trust verification that is fundamental to secure software distribution systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple package management failures, as it undermines the entire software supply chain security model. Attackers could exploit this weakness by intercepting package downloads and serving modified versions that pass through the APT verification process undetected. This creates a scenario where systems remain vulnerable to code injection attacks, privilege escalation, or backdoor installations that could persist across system updates. The unspecified nature of the impact and attack vectors suggests that the vulnerability could be leveraged in multiple ways depending on the specific environment and target system configurations, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise and server environments where package management is critical.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses improper output handling and information exposure, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for execution through package management systems. The flaw represents a critical gap in the software supply chain security model and demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and verification mechanisms. Organizations using affected APT versions should immediately implement mitigations including updating to version 1.0.9 or later, implementing additional verification layers, and monitoring for suspicious package modifications. The vulnerability also highlights the broader need for robust cryptographic verification and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices in package management systems. System administrators should consider implementing network-level monitoring and integrity checks to detect potential exploitation attempts and ensure that all package downloads are properly verified against known good checksums and digital signatures.