Description
Wget 1.9 and 1.9.1 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the name of the file being downloaded.
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 | wget | 1.9.1-12 | — |
| Debian 13 | wget | 1.9.1-12 | — |
| Debian 12 | wget | 1.9.1-12 | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 4 | wget | 1.10.1-2.4E.1 | RHSA-2005:771 |
| RHEL 3 | wget | 1.10.1-1.30E.1 | RHSA-2005:771 |
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
- WGet 1.x - Insecure File Creation Race Condition EDB-24123 · local · May 17, 2004 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 1
- RHSA-2005:771 Red Hat Security Advisory: wget security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
References
- [wget] 20040517 Re: Wget race condition vulnerability (fwd) mailing-list
- RHSA-2005:771 vendor-advisory
- USN-145-1 vendor-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:9830 vdb-entry signature
- 17399 third-party-advisory
- [wget] 20040517 Wget race condition vulnerability (fwd) mailing-list
- 10361 vdb-entry
- wget-lock-race-condition(16167) vdb-entry
- 20040516 Wget race condition vulnerability mailing-list
- MDKSA-2005:204 vendor-advisory