# CVE-2020-7040: Path traversal in n/a

> Local attackers can exploit symlink vulnerabilities in storeBackup to escalate privileges or cause denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Jan 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2020-7040, DLA-2095-1, GHSA-gc95-jc79-5q6h, UBUNTU-CVE-2020-7040, USN-4508-1, openSUSE-SU-2020:0119-1, openSUSE-SU-2024:11410-1

## What is CVE-2020-7040?

CVE-2020-7040 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 21 Jan 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

storeBackup.pl in storeBackup through 3.5 relies on the /tmp/storeBackup.lock pathname, which allows symlink attacks that possibly lead to privilege escalation. (Local users can also create a plain file named /tmp/storeBackup.lock to block use of storeBackup until an admin manually deletes that file.)

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-7040?

It affects 5 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `storeBackup` | SUSE:Package Hub 15 | All versions | 3.5-bp151.4.3.1 |
| `storeBackup` | SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP1 | All versions | 3.5-bp151.4.3.1 |
| `storeBackup` | openSUSE:Leap 15.1 | All versions | 3.5-bp151.4.3.1 |
| `storeBackup` | openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 3.5-13.2 |

Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Debian Debian Linux, Opensuse Backports Sle, Opensuse Leap, Storebackup Storebackup.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-7040?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2020-7040 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-7040 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux

- [CVE-2020-11651](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11651/): SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-7247](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7247/): OpenSMTPD Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-16928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16928/): Exim Out-of-bounds Write (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-6789](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6789/): Exim Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-2590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2590/): Oracle Java SE and Java SE Embedded Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-7040 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-7040 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 21 Jan 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-7040 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Canonical Ubuntu Linux. 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-2020-7040/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7040/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-7040
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7040
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-7040

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7040/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.