Root code execution via temporary-directory race
Published Mar 5, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024
Privilege escalation in Timeshift before 20.03 allows local users to execute attacker-controlled scripts with root privileges. The init_tmp function trusts a preexisting predictable /tmp/timeshift directory, follows links, and runs temporary shell scripts from an attacker-replaceable subdirectory. Exploitation requires local access and winning the replacement race while a root-run Timeshift process creates and executes its script.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Timeshift before 20.03 allows local users to execute attacker-controlled scripts with root privileges. The init_tmp function trusts a preexisting predictable /tmp/timeshift directory, follows links, and runs temporary shell scripts from an attacker-replaceable subdirectory. Exploitation requires local access and winning the replacement race while a root-run Timeshift process creates and executes its script.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2020-10174
- Published
- Mar 5, 2020
- Updated
- Aug 4, 2024
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-59, CWE-362, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 5, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Predictable temporary-directory symlink proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo