[ GLSA 200606-23 ] KDM: Symlink vulnerability

[GLSA]

Gentoo Linux Security Advisory

Title: KDM: Symlink vulnerability (GLSA 200606-23)
Severity: normal
Exploitable: local
Date: June 22, 2006
Updated: June 24, 2006
Bug(s): #136201
ID: 200606-23

Synopsis

KDM is vulnerable to a symlink vulnerability that can lead to disclosure of information.

Background

KDE is a feature-rich graphical desktop environment for Linux and Unix-like Operating Systems. KDM is the KDE Display Manager and is part of the kdebase package.

Affected Packages

Package: kde-base/kdebase
Vulnerable: < 3.5.2-r2
Unaffected: >= 3.5.2-r2
Unaffected: >= 3.4.3-r2 < 3.4.4
Architectures: All supported architectures

Package: kde-base/kdm
Vulnerable: < 3.5.2-r1
Unaffected: >= 3.5.2-r1
Unaffected: >= 3.4.3-r2 < 3.4.4
Architectures: All supported architectures


Description

Ludwig Nussel discovered that KDM could be tricked into allowing users to read files that would otherwise not be readable.

Impact

A local attacker could exploit this issue to obtain potentially sensitive information that is usually not accessable to the local user such as shadow files or other user's files. The default Gentoo user running KDM is root and, as a result, the local attacker can read any file.

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time.

Resolution

All kdebase users should upgrade to the latest version: