Description
The (1) gzexe, (2) zdiff, and (3) znew scripts in the gzip package, as used by other packages such as ncompress, allows local users to overwrite files via a symlink attack on temporary files. NOTE: the znew vulnerability may overlap CVE-2003-0367.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | gzip | 1.3.5-8 | — |
| Debian 13 | gzip | 1.3.5-8 | — |
| Debian 12 | gzip | 1.3.5-8 | — |
| Debian 3.0 | gzip | 1.3.2-3woody3 | DSA-588-1 |
Advisories 1
- DSA-588-1 gzip - insecure temporary files Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- script-temporary-file-overwrite(17583) vdb-entry
- 11288 vdb-entry
- 2004-0050 vendor-advisory
- DSA-588 vendor-advisory
- 13131 third-party-advisory
- http://www.zataz.net/adviso/ncompress-09052005.txt