# CVE-2011-4089: Race condition in n/a

> Local attackers can execute arbitrary code by exploiting a race condition in bzexe temporary file handling, requiring local access.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.6 (`AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 16 Apr 2014
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2011-4089, GHSA-f3fh-cjxj-26mw

## What is CVE-2011-4089?

CVE-2011-4089 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 16 Apr 2014. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The bzexe command in bzip2 1.0.5 and earlier generates compressed executables that do not properly handle temporary files during extraction, which allows local users to execute arbitrary code by precreating a temporary directory.

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2011-4089?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Bzip Bzip2.

## How do I fix CVE-2011-4089?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2011-4089 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2011-4089 exists.

Public exploit code:

- bzexe (bzip2) - Race Condition (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2019-12900](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12900/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-3189](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-3189/): Use after free in n/a (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2010-0405](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0405/): Integer overflow in n/a (medium 5.1)
- [CVE-2002-0759](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0759/): Path traversal in n/a (medium 5.0)
- [CVE-2008-1372](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-1372/): Memory corruption in n/a (medium 4.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2011-4089 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2011-4089 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 16 Apr 2014. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2011-4089 exists.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4089/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4089/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2011-4089
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-4089
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2011-4089

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4089/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.