# CVE-2011-4122: Path traversal in n/a

> Local attackers can exploit a directory traversal flaw in OpenPAM to load arbitrary shared objects and escalate privileges on FreeBSD systems.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.9 (`AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **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:** No
- **Published:** 17 Nov 2011
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xh8r-pw4r-9vx4

## What is CVE-2011-4122?

CVE-2011-4122 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Freebsd Freebsd, published on 17 Nov 2011. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Directory traversal vulnerability in openpam_configure.c in OpenPAM before r478 on FreeBSD 8.1 allows local users to load arbitrary DSOs and gain privileges via a .. (dot dot) in the service_name argument to the pam_start function, as demonstrated by a .. in the -c option to kcheckpass.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2011-4122?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Freebsd Freebsd.

## How do I fix CVE-2011-4122?

No fix has been published for CVE-2011-4122 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2011-4122 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2011-4122 exists.

Public exploit code:

- OpenPAM - 'pam_start()' Local Privilege Escalation (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Freebsd Freebsd

- [CVE-2018-17160](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-17160/): Memory corruption in FreeBSD (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2014-3954](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-3954/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2006-4304](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-4304/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2006-0226](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-0226/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2004-0002](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0002/): Denial of service in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2011-4122 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2011-4122 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Freebsd Freebsd, published on 17 Nov 2011. 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-2011-4122 exists.

Affected product: Freebsd Freebsd. 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-2011-4122/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4122/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2011-4122
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-4122
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2011-4122

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4122/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.