CVE-2017-20147 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

SmokePing on Gentoo with version smokeping-2.7.3-r1 is vulnerable to a denial of service attack due to a PID file manipulation by the smokeping user.

Understanding CVE-2017-20147

This CVE involves a vulnerability in the SmokePing package on Gentoo that allows the smokeping user to disrupt other processes by manipulating the PID file.

What is CVE-2017-20147?

The initscript in the SmokePing package on Gentoo uses a PID file that grants write permissions to the smokeping user. By altering the PID file's contents, the smokeping user can potentially cause a denial of service for other processes associated with arbitrary PIDs.

The Impact of CVE-2017-20147

Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to a denial of service situation, affecting the functionality of other processes associated with arbitrary PIDs when the SmokePing service is terminated.

Technical Details of CVE-2017-20147

This section provides more technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from the initscript of SmokePing on Gentoo using a PID file that allows the smokeping user to disrupt other processes by manipulating the file contents.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: SmokePing
Vendor: Gentoo
Version: smokeping-2.7.3-r1

Exploitation Mechanism

The smokeping user can exploit the vulnerability by writing arbitrary PIDs to the PID file, causing a denial of service to arbitrary PIDs when the SmokePing service is stopped.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect your systems from CVE-2017-20147 with these mitigation strategies.

Immediate Steps to Take

Monitor PID file permissions and restrict write access to authorized users only.
Regularly check for unauthorized changes to the PID file.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement least privilege access controls to limit user capabilities.
Conduct regular security audits to identify and address vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches or updates provided by the vendor to address the vulnerability in the SmokePing package on Gentoo.