Description
sudoedit (aka sudo -e) in sudo 1.6.8 opens a temporary file with root privileges, which allows local users to read arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the temporary file before quitting sudoedit.
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 | sudo | 1.6.8p3-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | sudo | 1.6.8p3-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | sudo | 1.6.8p3-1 | — |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 1
- SudoEdit 1.6.8 - Local Change Permission EDB-470 · local · Sep 21, 2004 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
References
- 12596 third-party-advisory
- 20040916 [sudo-announce] Sudo version 1.6.8p1 now available (fwd) mailing-list
- VU#424358 third-party-advisory
- 10023 vdb-entry
- 11204 vdb-entry
- O-219 third-party-advisory government-resource
- sudo-sudoedit-view-files(17424) vdb-entry
- http://www.sudo.ws/sudo/alerts/sudoedit.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.nl/0409-exploits/sudoedit.txt