CVE-2023-1326 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This CVE record was published by Canonical on April 13, 2023, and it involves a privilege escalation vulnerability in the Apport tool.

Understanding CVE-2023-1326

This CVE-2023-1326 identifies a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the "apport-cli" tool version 2.26.0 and earlier, impacting systems running Linux.

What is CVE-2023-1326?

The vulnerability allows a local attacker to escalate privileges by exploiting the "sudo apport-cli" command in a specific configuration where the pager "less" is set and terminal size can be manipulated. This could lead to high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system.

The Impact of CVE-2023-1326

The vulnerability poses a high severity risk with a base score of 7.7 (High) according to the CVSS v3.1 metrics. It requires high privileges to exploit but has a low attack complexity, making it a significant security concern for affected systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-1326

This section delves deeper into the vulnerability, its affected systems and versions, as well as the exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises in the "apport-cli" tool versions 2.26.0 and earlier, allowing unprivileged users to escalate their privileges under specific configurations, leading to potential security breaches.

Affected Systems and Versions

The "apport" tool version 2.26.0 and earlier on Linux platforms, specifically when configured to allow unprivileged users to run "sudo apport-cli" with "less" as the pager, are vulnerable to this privilege escalation attack.

Exploitation Mechanism

To exploit CVE-2023-1326, a local attacker must have the ability to run "sudo apport-cli" in the specified configuration, manipulating the terminal size to escalate privileges and potentially compromise the system.

Mitigation and Prevention

In light of this vulnerability, it is crucial for users and system administrators to take immediate steps to mitigate the risk and implement long-term security practices against such exploits.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update to the latest version of the "apport" tool to patch the vulnerability and prevent exploit.
Avoid allowing unprivileged users to run sensitive commands with sudo privileges.
Regularly monitor and restrict user access to critical system commands to minimize potential risks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement the principle of least privilege to restrict user access rights.
Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential security gaps.
Educate users on safe system practices and the importance of secure configurations.

Patching and Updates

Canonical has released a patch for the "apport" tool to address CVE-2023-1326. Users are advised to apply the patch promptly to ensure the security of their systems and protect against privilege escalation attacks.