CVE-2020-8831 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
Learn about CVE-2020-8831, a vulnerability in Apport allowing privilege escalation. Find out affected versions, impact, and mitigation steps to secure your system.
Apport creates a world-writable lock file with root ownership in the world-writable /var/lock/apport directory, potentially leading to privilege escalation.
Understanding CVE-2020-8831
What is CVE-2020-8831?
CVE-2020-8831 is a vulnerability in Apport, a crash report handling tool in Ubuntu, allowing an attacker to create a symlink attack to escalate privileges.
The Impact of CVE-2020-8831
The vulnerability could be exploited by an attacker to change the location of Apport's lock file, potentially leading to privilege escalation.
Technical Details of CVE-2020-8831
Vulnerability Description
Apport creates a world-writable lock file with root ownership in the /var/lock/apport directory, enabling a symlink attack for privilege escalation.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: Apport
- Vendor: Canonical
- Affected Versions: 2.20.1, 2.20.9, 2.20.11
Exploitation Mechanism
- Attack Complexity: Low
- Attack Vector: Local
- Privileges Required: Low
- Integrity Impact: High
- Scope: Changed
Mitigation and Prevention
Immediate Steps to Take
- Update Apport to versions 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.23, 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.14, 2.20.11-0ubuntu8.8, or 2.20.11-0ubuntu22
- Monitor for any unauthorized changes in the /var/lock/apport directory
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly update software to patch known vulnerabilities
- Implement least privilege access controls to limit potential damage
Patching and Updates
- Apply patches provided by Canonical to address the vulnerability