CVE-2017-16024
Information Disclosure vulnerability in sync-exec (npm)

Information Disclosure No known exploit

What is CVE-2017-16024 About?

This vulnerability in `sync-exec` allows for information disclosure by using files in `/tmp/` to buffer command results. Low-privileged users can read sensitive command outputs from higher-privileged processes. This is relatively easy to exploit through local file access on the system.

Affected Software

sync-exec <=0.6.2

Technical Details

Affected versions of the sync-exec package use temporary files located in the world-readable /tmp/ directory to store the buffered results of executed commands. When sync-exec is run by a high-privilege user, the output of the commands it executes is written to these temporary files. Due to the permissive access rights of /tmp/, a low-privilege local user can read the contents of these temporary files, thereby gaining unauthorized access to the command outputs, which may contain sensitive information.

What is the Impact of CVE-2017-16024?

Successful exploitation may allow attackers to read sensitive data from command executions performed by higher-privileged users, potentially leading to further compromise of the system.

What is the Exploitability of CVE-2017-16024?

Exploitation requires local access to the affected system. It is of low complexity, as it involves simply reading files from a publicly accessible temporary directory. No authentication is needed to read from /tmp/ if permissions are default. The primary prerequisite is that sync-exec is run by a higher-privileged user, and a low-privileged user has local access to the system to read the temporary files. The risk is heightened in multi-user environments where privileged processes frequently use sync-exec.

What are the Known Public Exploits?

PoC Author Link Commentary
No known exploits

What are the Available Fixes for CVE-2017-16024?

Available Upgrade Options

  • No fixes available

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Additional Resources

What are Similar Vulnerabilities to CVE-2017-16024?

Similar Vulnerabilities: CVE-2011-0421 , CVE-2018-1000632 , CVE-2019-1010184 , CVE-2020-13757 , CVE-2021-39276