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OpenAdvisories
Medium · 5.5 CVE-2008-4996 EUVD-2008-4975GHSA-5hcq-w636-2w8h

init in initramfs-tools 0.92f allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the /tmp/initramfs.debug temporary fi…

Published Nov 7, 2008 · Updated Jan 17, 2025 · Assigned by mitre

Description

init in initramfs-tools 0.92f allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the /tmp/initramfs.debug temporary file. NOTE: the vendor disputes this vulnerability, stating that "init is [used in] a single-user context; there's no possibility that this is exploitable.

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.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 14 initramfs-tools No fix yet —
Debian 13 initramfs-tools No fix yet —
Debian 12 initramfs-tools No fix yet —

References