CVE-2026-73585 in sblim-cmpi-base
Summary
by MITRE • 08/13/2026
A flaw was found in sblim-cmpi-base. Insecure temporary file creation in the provider registration scripts allows a local unprivileged user to perform a symlink attack. By creating a symlink in a world-writable directory, an attacker can redirect privileged writes to an arbitrary file during script execution in a privileged context. This can lead to the overwrite of root-owned files, potentially disrupting system services or operation. Exploitation is conditional on the script running with elevated privileges and may be mitigated by sticky-directory symlink protections.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/13/2026
The vulnerability identified in sblim-cmpi-base represents a critical insecure temporary file creation flaw that undermines the security of provider registration scripts within the Common Management Infrastructure (CMI) framework. This issue manifests when scripts execute in privileged contexts while creating temporary files in world-writable directories, establishing a dangerous attack surface for local unprivileged users seeking to escalate privileges or disrupt system operations. The flaw operates through a classic symlink attack vector where malicious actors manipulate symbolic links to redirect file operations from intended targets to arbitrary locations within the filesystem.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of temporary file creation processes within the provider registration scripts that are designed to operate with elevated privileges. When these scripts generate temporary files without proper security measures such as using secure temporary file creation functions or validating directory permissions, they become susceptible to race conditions and symlink manipulation attacks. The attack requires an unprivileged user to establish a symbolic link in a world-writable directory before the privileged script executes, allowing for precise timing of the attack during the temporary file creation phase.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation capabilities to encompass potential system service disruption and unauthorized modification of critical root-owned files. Attackers can leverage this flaw to overwrite configuration files, binaries, or system libraries with malicious content, thereby compromising system integrity and potentially establishing persistent access. The conditional nature of exploitation means that the attack is only successful when the target scripts execute with elevated privileges, but the consequences remain severe as these operations typically involve system management functions that require root access.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-377 and CWE-378 categories related to insecure temporary file creation and weak temporary file handling practices. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw maps to several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation through exploitation of software vulnerabilities and persistence mechanisms through file modification attacks. The attack vector specifically corresponds to T1068 (Local Privilege Escalation) and T1543 (Create or Modify System Process) within the ATT&CK framework, demonstrating how insecure temporary file handling can be leveraged for system compromise.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper secure temporary file creation practices throughout the affected scripts, including using functions that guarantee atomic creation of temporary files with restricted permissions. The implementation of sticky bit protections on world-writable directories provides an additional layer of defense by preventing unauthorized users from removing or replacing files within these directories. System administrators should also consider restricting execution privileges for provider registration scripts and implementing proper file permission controls to prevent the exploitation of this class of vulnerabilities. Regular security audits and code reviews focusing on temporary file handling patterns will help identify similar issues in other software components and maintain overall system security posture.