# CVE-2013-0261: Packstack: packstack: arbitrary file overwrite via symlink attack

> A local attacker can exploit a symlink attack on a predictable temporary file to overwrite arbitrary system files, potentially compromising the system.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **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:** 8 Mar 2013
- **Updated:** 30 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-846g-25mr-v9p5

## What is CVE-2013-0261?

CVE-2013-0261 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 5 (Icehouse), published on 8 Mar 2013. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A flaw was found in PackStack. A local user could exploit a symlink attack on a temporary file with a predictable name in the `/tmp` directory. This vulnerability allows the local user to overwrite arbitrary files on the system, potentially leading to system compromise or data corruption.

Weakness: CWE-264, CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2013-0261?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Openstack Essex, Openstack Folsom.

## How do I fix CVE-2013-0261?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2013-0261 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2013-0261 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 5 (Icehouse)

- [CVE-2013-0266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-0266/): Information disclosure in Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 5 (Icehouse) (medium 5.5)
- [CVE-2012-4573](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-4573/): OpenStack Glance arbitrary deletion of non-protected images (medium 5.5)
- [CVE-2012-5482](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5482/): OpenStack Glance arbitrary deletion of non-protected images (medium 5.5)
- [CVE-2012-3360](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-3360/): OpenStack Nova Directory traversal vulnerability (medium 5.5)
- [CVE-2012-5571](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5571/): Openstack keystone: openstack keystone: authorization bypass via improper ec2 token handling (medium 5.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2013-0261 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2013-0261 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 5 (Icehouse), published on 8 Mar 2013. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2013-0261 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 5 (Icehouse). 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-2013-0261/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-0261/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2013-0261
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-0261
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2013-0261

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-0261/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.