CVE-2008-5394 describes a symlink attack vulnerability in the /bin/login program within shadow 4.0.18.1, primarily affecting Debian GNU/Linux and potentially other Linux distributions. This flaw allows local users belonging to the utmp group to overwrite arbitrary files by manipulating a temporary file referenced in a utmp entry's ut_line field. With a CVSS score of 7.2, it represents a high-severity local vulnerability with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, requiring low attack complexity and no authentication. While not listed in CISA's KEV catalog, an ExploitDB entry (EDB-7313) confirms exploit code availability, though there is minimal community discussion or media coverage surrounding this CVE.
| Vendor | Product | Version(s) | CPE |
|---|---|---|---|
4.0.18.1CPE matchmatch criteria | cpe:2.3:a:debian:shadow:4.0.18.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
CVSS version used by this source: 2.0
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
No social media mentions found for this CVE.
The average CVE in this peer group has 0.0 Twitter, 0.0 Reddit, 0.1 Bluesky, 0.0 Mastodon, and 0.5 GitHub mentions.
No media coverage found for this CVE.
The average CVE in this peer group has 0.1 InfoSec Media, 0.0 Vendor Blog, and 0.0 Security Researcher mentions.