metadata/glsa/glsa-200405-20.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE glsa SYSTEM "http://www.gentoo.org/dtd/glsa.dtd">

<glsa id="200405-20">
  <title>Insecure Temporary File Creation In MySQL</title>
  <synopsis>
    Two MySQL utilities create temporary files with hardcoded paths, allowing
    an attacker to use a symlink to trick MySQL into overwriting important
    data.
  </synopsis>
  <product type="ebuild">MySQL</product>
  <announced>May 25, 2004</announced>
  <revised>May 25, 2004: 01</revised>
  <bug>46242</bug>
  <access>local </access>
  <affected>
    <package name="dev-db/mysql" auto="yes" arch="*">
      <unaffected range="ge">4.0.18-r2</unaffected>
      <vulnerable range="lt">4.0.18-r2</vulnerable>
    </package>
  </affected>
  <background>
    <p>
    MySQL is a popular open-source multi-threaded, multi-user SQL database
    server.
    </p>
  </background>
  <description>
    <p>
    The MySQL bug reporting utility (mysqlbug) creates a temporary file to log
    bug reports to. A malicious local user with write access to the /tmp
    directory could create a symbolic link of the name mysqlbug-<i>N</i>
    pointing to a protected file, such as /etc/passwd, such that when mysqlbug
    creates the <i>N</i>th log file, it would end up overwriting the target
    file. A similar vulnerability exists with the mysql_multi utility, which
    creates a temporary file called mysql_multi.log.
    </p>
  </description>
  <impact type="normal">
    <p>
    Since mysql_multi runs as root, a local attacker could use this to destroy
    any other users' data or corrupt and destroy system files.
    </p>
  </impact>
  <workaround>
    <p>
    One could modify both scripts to log to a directory that users do not have
    write permission to, such as /var/log/mysql/.
    </p>
  </workaround>
  <resolution>
    <p>
    All users should upgrade to the latest stable version of MySQL.
    </p>
    <code>
    # emerge sync

    # emerge -pv ">=dev-db/mysql-4.0.18-r2"
    # emerge ">=dev-db/mysql-4.0.18-r2"</code>
  </resolution>
  <references>
    <uri link="http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CAN-2004-0381">CAN-2004-0381</uri>
    <uri link="http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CAN-2004-0388">CAN-2004-0388</uri>
  </references>
  <metadata tag="submitter">
    dmargoli
  </metadata>
</glsa>