CVE-2011-3869: Puppet Puppet Arbitrary File Overwrite Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8c56-v25w-f89c
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CWE-59
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2011-3869 is a MODERATE puppet arbitrary file overwrite vulnerability (CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')) affecting Puppet libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves puppet arbitrary file overwrite. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.7.5, 2.6.11.

CVE-2011-3869 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2011-3869
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8c56-v25w-f89c
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Affected Product Puppet
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2011-3869

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Puppet dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

puppet fixed: 2.7.5 
Upgrade puppet to 2.7.5
puppet fixed: 2.6.11 
Upgrade puppet to 2.6.11
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for puppet

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2011-3869, inspect your project dependencies for Puppet:

inspect dependencies for puppet

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Puppet in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.7.5), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following'), where the product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource. In Puppet, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Puppet 2.7.x before 2.7.5, 2.6.x before 2.6.11, and 0.25.x allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the .k5login file.

CVE-2011-3869 Affected Puppet Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.7.52.6.11
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
puppet
gem/puppet
RubyGems
≥ 2.7.0
< 2.7.5
2.7.5
puppet
gem/puppet
RubyGems
< 2.6.11
2.6.11

References

NVD — CVE-2011-3869 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-3869
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/puppetlabs/puppet/commit/2775c21ae48e189950dbea5e7b4d1d9fa2aca41c
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/puppetlabs/puppet/commit/7d4c169df84fc7bbeb2941bf995a63470f71bdbd
Puppet Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/puppetlabs/puppet
Puppet Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/puppet/CVE-2011-3869.yml
Puppet Security Information SECURITY
https://puppet.com/security/cve/cve-2011-3869
groups.google.com/group/puppet-announ... WEB
http://groups.google.com/group/puppet-announce/browse_thread/thread/91e3b46d2328a1cb
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-October/068053.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-October/068061.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-October/068093.html
Puppet Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2011/dsa-2314
www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-1223-1 WEB
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1223-1
www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-1223-2 WEB
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1223-2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2011-3869?
CVE-2011-3869 is a security vulnerability in Puppet involving Puppet arbitrary file overwrite under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following').
Which Puppet versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.7.5, 2.6.11 across affected packages: puppet.
What version fixes CVE-2011-3869?
Upgrading to 2.7.5, 2.6.11 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is puppet affected?
Yes, puppet is affected in releases prior to 2.7.5, 2.6.11. Upgrade your dependency to 2.7.5, 2.6.11 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2011-3869?
CVE-2011-3869 is classified under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') (The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2011-3869?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for puppet'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-8c56-v25w-f89c",
  "modified" : "2024-01-16T21:31:04Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T00:56:54Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2011-3869" ],
  "summary" : "Puppet arbitrary file overwrite",
  "details" : "Puppet 2.7.x before 2.7.5, 2.6.x before 2.6.11, and 0.25.x allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the .k5login file.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "puppet"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.7.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "puppet"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.6.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-3869"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/puppetlabs/puppet/commit/2775c21ae48e189950dbea5e7b4d1d9fa2aca41c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/puppetlabs/puppet/commit/7d4c169df84fc7bbeb2941bf995a63470f71bdbd"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/puppetlabs/puppet"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/puppet/CVE-2011-3869.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://puppet.com/security/cve/cve-2011-3869"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://groups.google.com/group/puppet-announce/browse_thread/thread/91e3b46d2328a1cb"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-October/068053.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-October/068061.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-October/068093.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2011/dsa-2314"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1223-1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1223-2"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-01-16T21:31:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2011-10-27T20:55:00Z"
  }
}