CVE-2011-2185: Fabric Fabric Vulnerable To Symlink Attack Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xwg2-qc6c-7c3q
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CWE-59
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2011-2185 is a MODERATE fabric vulnerable to symlink attack vulnerability (CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')) affecting Fabric libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves fabric vulnerable to symlink attack on tmp files. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.1.0.

CVE-2011-2185 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2011-2185
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xwg2-qc6c-7c3q
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Affected Product Fabric
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2011-2185

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

fabric fixed: 1.1.0 
pip install fabric>=1.1.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

pip show fabric

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2011-2185, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show fabric

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Fabric in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.1.0), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show fabric command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

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 Fabric, 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

Fabric before 1.1.0 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on (1) a `/tmp/fab.*.tar` file or (2) certain other files in the top level of `/tmp/`.

CVE-2011-2185 Affected Fabric Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.1.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
fabric
pypi/fabric
PyPI
< 1.1.0
1.1.0

References

NVD — CVE-2011-2185 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-2185
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/fabric/fabric/commit/3445b5653cd297039443110548fb3cab2e8e25af
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/fabric/fabric/commit/d7470d2db919ffcee80c245cf87e6d8d4ba6909c
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=710462
Fabric Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/fabric/fabric
bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.c... WEB
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=629003
code.fabfile.org/projects/fabric/fil... WEB
http://code.fabfile.org/projects/fabric/files/Fabric-1.1.0.tar.gz
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-July/062534.html
Fabric Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/06/03/5
Fabric Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/06/06/12

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2011-2185?
CVE-2011-2185 is a security vulnerability in Fabric involving Fabric vulnerable to symlink attack on tmp files under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following').
Which Fabric versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.1.0 across affected packages: fabric.
What version fixes CVE-2011-2185?
Upgrading to 1.1.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is fabric affected?
Yes, fabric is affected in releases prior to 1.1.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.1.0 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2011-2185?
CVE-2011-2185 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 PyPI dependencies for CVE-2011-2185?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show fabric'. 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-xwg2-qc6c-7c3q",
  "modified" : "2024-01-19T18:16:49Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T05:40:10Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2011-2185" ],
  "summary" : "Fabric vulnerable to symlink attack on tmp files",
  "details" : "Fabric before 1.1.0 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on (1) a `/tmp/fab.*.tar` file or (2) certain other files in the top level of `/tmp/`.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "fabric"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-2185"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/fabric/fabric/commit/3445b5653cd297039443110548fb3cab2e8e25af"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/fabric/fabric/commit/d7470d2db919ffcee80c245cf87e6d8d4ba6909c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=710462"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/fabric/fabric"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=629003"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://code.fabfile.org/projects/fabric/files/Fabric-1.1.0.tar.gz"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2011-July/062534.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/06/03/5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/06/06/12"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-01-19T18:16:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2011-07-27T02:55:00Z"
  }
}