CVE-2009-5080 Path traversal in n/a

Low 3.3 Published 30 Jun 2011 Updated 7 Aug 2024

Local attackers can overwrite arbitrary files via symlink attacks in GNU troff temporary directory handling scripts.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2009-5080?

CVE-2009-5080 is a low-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 30 Jun 2011. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

The (1) contrib/eqn2graph/eqn2graph.sh, (2) contrib/grap2graph/grap2graph.sh, and (3) contrib/pic2graph/pic2graph.sh scripts in GNU troff (aka groff) 1.21 and earlier do not properly handle certain failed attempts to create temporary directories, which might allow local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a file in a temporary directory, a different vulnerability than CVE-2004-1296.

Weakness: CWE-59

Which versions are affected by CVE-2009-5080?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Gnu Groff.

How do I fix CVE-2009-5080?

Apply the vendor's patch.

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

Is CVE-2009-5080 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2009-5080 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2009-5080, GHSA-wgpq-q6f4-j3jq, UBUNTU-CVE-2009-5080.