CVE-2009-5081: Low severity groff vulnerability

Published Jun 30, 2011
·
Updated

The (1) config.guess, (2) contrib/groffer/perl/groffer.pl, and (3) contrib/groffer/perl/roff2.pl scripts in GNU troff (aka groff) 1.21 and earlier use an insufficient number of X characters in the template argument to the tempfile function, which makes it easier for local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a temporary file, a different vulnerability than CVE-2004-0969.

Affected Software

16 affected components
GNU groff<=1.21
GNU groff=1.16.1
GNU groff=1.16
GNU groff=1.19.2
GNU groff=1.18.1
GNU groff=1.11a
GNU groff=1.19.1
GNU groff=1.20
GNU groff=1.19
GNU groff=1.20.1
GNU groff=1.14
GNU groff=1.17.2
GNU groff=1.10
GNU groff=1.17.1
GNU groff=1.11
GNU groff=1.15

Event History

Jun 30, 2011
CVE Published
via MITRE·03:26 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·03:26 PM
Description

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2009-5081?

CVE-2009-5081 is classified as a moderate severity vulnerability due to its potential for local user exploitation.

2

How do I fix CVE-2009-5081?

To fix CVE-2009-5081, users should update GNU troff to version 1.21 or later, which includes the necessary security patches.

3

Who is affected by CVE-2009-5081?

CVE-2009-5081 affects all versions of GNU troff up to and including 1.21.

4

What types of attacks can exploit CVE-2009-5081?

CVE-2009-5081 can be exploited by local users to potentially overwrite arbitrary files.

5

Is CVE-2009-5081 a remote or local vulnerability?

CVE-2009-5081 is a local vulnerability, meaning it can only be exploited by authenticated local users.

Contact

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