A vulnerability was found in systemd-coredump. This vulnerability allows an attacker to force a SUID process to crash and replace it with a non-SUID binary to access the original's privileged process coredump, allowing the attacker to read sensitive data, such as /etc/shadow content, loaded by the original process.
A SUID binary or process has a special type of permission, which allows the process to run with the file owner's permissions, regardless of the user executing the binary. This allows the process to access more restricted data than unprivileged users or processes would be able to.
An attacker can leverage this flaw by forcing a SUID process to crash and force the Linux kernel to recycle the process PID before systemd-coredump can analyze the /proc/pid/auxv file. If the attacker wins the race condition, they gain access to the original's SUID process coredump file. They can read sensitive content loaded into memory by the original binary, affecting data confidentiality.
Organizations should prioritize patching immediately.
Vulnerability Details
The CVSS score for this vulnerability is 4.7, indicating a medium severity level. The attack vector is local, and the attacker requires low privileges with no user interaction needed. The confidentiality impact is high, while integrity and availability impacts are none.
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-364 and affects multiple components including systemd, openshift_container_platform, enterprise_linux, and others.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the way systemd-coredump handles SUID processes. The attack vector requires local access, and the complexity of the attack is classified as high due to the race condition that must be exploited.
Attackers would need to have low privileges to initiate the attack, and no user interaction is required. Once the SUID process crashes, the attacker can execute a non-SUID binary to access the coredump.
The confidentiality of sensitive data is at risk, especially information like password hashes from /etc/shadow, while integrity remains intact as the attacker does not modify any data.
Availability is not impacted, making this a critical risk for data confidentiality.
Risk & Impact Analysis
Risk to organizations includes potential exposure of sensitive data, which can lead to unauthorized access and further exploitation. The real-world deployment risk is significant, particularly for systems that utilize SUID binaries.
The blast radius could extend to any compromised SUID process, impacting overall system security and confidentiality.
Organizations should address this vulnerability in their priority patch cycle to mitigate the risks associated with this flaw.
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
The vulnerability affects various versions of Debian Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and other related components, specifically systemd versions prior to 252.37 and from versions 253 to 257.6.
Mitigation & Remediation
Organizations should upgrade to the latest patched versions of the affected components. Patching systemd and related binaries is crucial to mitigating this vulnerability.
If immediate patching is not feasible, consider restricting access to SUID binaries and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts as a temporary measure.
Furthermore, organizations may benefit from conducting regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify potential vulnerabilities.
Security assessments can help uncover vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
Detection Guidance
Monitor logs for indicators of unauthorized access attempts, especially related to SUID processes. Look for unusual coredump activity or process recycling that could signify exploitation attempts.
Behavioral anomalies in user access patterns should also be flagged for further investigation.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
The long-term significance of CVE-2025-4598 lies in its potential for data confidentiality breaches through exploitation of SUID processes.
This vulnerability represents a pattern of local privilege escalation risks that can be leveraged by attackers to gain access to sensitive data.
Security teams should remain vigilant and proactive in their defensive strategies, employing continuous penetration testing and monitoring to adapt to emerging threats.
Continuous penetration testing can further strengthen defenses against such vulnerabilities.
Application security assessments are also essential in identifying and mitigating risks in the software development lifecycle.
Red teaming services offer a comprehensive approach to testing and securing environments against evolving threats.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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