CVE-2026-105265 in Kiloview
Summary
by MITRE • 10/23/2026
A vulnerability exists in the the time zone parameter and does not properly validate user input, which may allow an authenticated user to cause /etc/localtime to point to a file outside the intended zoneinfo directory
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/23/2026
The described vulnerability represents a critical path traversal flaw within the application's handling of timezone configuration parameters. Specifically, the system fails to adequately sanitize or validate input provided by an authenticated user when setting the time zone parameter. This lack of rigorous validation allows for the manipulation of file paths through the use of directory traversal sequences, such as dot-dot-slash characters. The core technical flaw lies in the application's logic which directly incorporates this unsanitized user-supplied data into a system call or configuration update that targets the /etc/localtime symlink on Linux-based operating systems. By exploiting this weakness, an attacker can redirect this symbolic link to point toward arbitrary files located outside of the intended zoneinfo directory structure. This behavior indicates a fundamental failure in implementing proper input validation and path canonicalization checks before interacting with sensitive system resources.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory. The attacker leverages their authenticated status to bypass initial access controls but then exploits the insufficient backend processing logic that trusts user input without verifying its safety relative to the filesystem hierarchy. When /etc/localtime is redirected, it effectively changes how the operating system interprets time for applications running under specific contexts or globally if configured as a default. This manipulation can lead to significant operational disruptions, including incorrect logging timestamps which complicates forensic analysis and incident response efforts. Furthermore, depending on the target file pointed to by the symlink, an attacker might achieve unauthorized read access to sensitive configuration files, private keys, or other critical system data that resides in directories not intended for public or application-level access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple misconfiguration. In environments where time synchronization is crucial for security protocols such as Kerberos authentication or TLS certificate validation, incorrect timezone settings can cause service failures or authentication errors. More critically, if the symlink points to a file containing sensitive information like SSH private keys or database credentials stored in accessible directories, it could lead to data exfiltration. An attacker with this capability might also use the misconfigured time as part of a broader attack chain to evade detection mechanisms that rely on accurate log timestamps for anomaly detection. The ability to write symlinks often correlates with CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access, highlighting the risk associated with following symbolic links without proper security checks against path traversal attacks.
Mitigation strategies must focus on strict input validation and secure coding practices at the application level. Developers should implement allow-listing for timezone values rather than relying on block-lists or simple string matching. The system should reject any input containing directory traversal characters such as ../ or ..\ before processing it further. Additionally, using absolute paths within a predefined whitelist of valid zoneinfo directories ensures that only expected files are accessed. On the infrastructure side, restricting file permissions so that application processes cannot modify /etc/localtime can provide an additional layer of defense through least privilege principles. Regular security audits and static code analysis tools configured to detect CWE-22 patterns should be employed during the software development lifecycle to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the system before deployment.