CVE-2019-11485 : What You Need to Know

A vulnerability in Apport allowed all users to hinder crash handling due to a mislocated lock file.

Understanding CVE-2019-11485

Sander Bos discovered a security issue in Apport that could impact the crash handling process.

What is CVE-2019-11485?

CVE-2019-11485 is a vulnerability in Apport, a crash report handling tool in Ubuntu, where the lock file was placed in a directory with overly permissive permissions.

The Impact of CVE-2019-11485

The vulnerability could be exploited by all users to interfere with crash handling, potentially leading to denial of service or other security issues.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-11485

The technical aspects of the vulnerability in Apport.

Vulnerability Description

The lock file of Apport was located in a directory with permissions that allowed all users to hinder crash handling.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Apport
Vendor: Canonical
Affected Versions:
2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29+esm2
2.20.1-0ubuntu2.20
2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8
2.20.11-0ubuntu8.1

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
CVSS Score: 3.3 (Low)

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to address and prevent the CVE-2019-11485 vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Apport to a non-vulnerable version.
Restrict access permissions to the directory containing the lock file.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and review file permissions on critical directories.
Educate users on secure crash handling practices.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by Canonical to fix the vulnerability in Apport.