CVE-2008-4865 Path traversal in n/a

High 7.2 Published Updated

Local attackers can execute arbitrary code by placing a malicious .valgrindrc file in the current working directory, affecting Valgrind users.

Exploited in the wild
Not known
Login needed
Not needed
Attackable
Local or same network only
Victim action needed
A user has to click or open something
Fix
Available

What is CVE-2008-4865?

CVE-2008-4865 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 31 Oct 2008. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

Untrusted search path vulnerability in valgrind before 3.4.0 allows local users to execute arbitrary programs via a Trojan horse .valgrindrc file in the current working directory, as demonstrated using a malicious --db-command options. NOTE: the severity of this issue has been disputed, but CVE is including this issue because execution of a program from an untrusted directory is a common scenario.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-4865?

It affects 1 product.

Linux distribution packages (5)
valgrind Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationAll versions1:3.5.0-1.el5
valgrind-devel Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationAll versions1:3.5.0-1.el5
valgrind Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::serverAll versions1:3.5.0-1.el5
valgrind-devel Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::serverAll versions1:3.5.0-1.el5
valgrind openSUSE:TumbleweedAll versions3.17.0-2.3

Products include Valgrind Valgrind.

How do I fix CVE-2008-4865?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.

Is CVE-2008-4865 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-4865 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2008-4865, GHSA-gjj4-r6j8-99mm, RHEA-2010:0272, openSUSE-SU-2024:11492-1.

Is CVE-2008-4865 in your software?

Upload an SBOM and sbomify checks it against every vulnerability here, every day.

Check your SBOMs for free