Description
The bzexe command in bzip2 1.0.5 and earlier generates compressed executables that do not properly handle temporary files during extraction, which allows local users to execute arbitrary code by precreating a temporary directory.
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 | bzip2 | 1.0.6-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | bzip2 | 1.0.6-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | bzip2 | 1.0.6-1 | — |
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
- bzexe (bzip2) - Race Condition EDB-18147 · local · Nov 23, 2011 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
References
- 20111025 Re: Symlink vulnerabilities mailing-list
- https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=632862
- USN-1308-1 vendor-advisory
- 18147 exploit
- [oss-security] 20111028 Re: Request for CVE Identifier: bzexe insecure temporary file mailing-list