# CVE-2014-2583: Path traversal in n/a

> Local attackers can exploit directory traversal in the pam_timestamp module to create arbitrary files or bypass authentication, potentially leading to privilege escalation.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.8 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N`)
- **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:** 10 Apr 2014
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2014-2583, GHSA-p526-qhf4-2v4r, UBUNTU-CVE-2014-2583

## What is CVE-2014-2583?

CVE-2014-2583 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 10 Apr 2014. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Multiple directory traversal vulnerabilities in pam_timestamp.c in the pam_timestamp module for Linux-PAM (aka pam) 1.1.8 allow local users to create arbitrary files or possibly bypass authentication via a .. (dot dot) in the (1) PAM_RUSER value to the get_ruser function or (2) PAM_TTY value to the check_tty function, which is used by the format_timestamp_name function.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2014-2583?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux-Pam Linux-Pam.

## How do I fix CVE-2014-2583?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2014-2583 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2014-2583 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2022-28321](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-28321/): Auth bypass in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-27780](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-27780/): Auth bypass in pam (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2010-4708](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-4708/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2010-3853](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-3853/): Privilege escalation in n/a (medium 6.9)
- [CVE-2009-0887](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-0887/): Integer overflow in n/a (medium 6.6)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2014-2583 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2014-2583 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 10 Apr 2014. 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-2014-2583 in the wild and no public exploit code.

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-2014-2583/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-2583/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2014-2583
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-2583
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2014-2583

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-2583/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.