Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2007-4998
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedcp, when running with an option to preserve symlinks on multiple OSes, allows local, user-assisted attackers to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack using crafted directories containing multiple source files that are copied to the same destination.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe cp command when invoked with symlink preservation options (such as -P or --no-dereference) on multiple operating systems allows local attackers to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack. The vulnerability exists when copying directories containing multiple source files to the same destination, where symlinks in the source can be crafted to point outside the intended destination directory.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
all versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check cp command versionRun `cp --version` to identify the coreutils version installedAffected if The version is any release prior to the patch (this vulnerability affects all coreutils versions before the fix)
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Identify scripts or commands using -P flagSearch your deployment scripts, automation tools, and command history for uses of `cp -P` or `cp --no-dereference`, especially when copying directoriesAffected if Any script or command uses -P or --no-dereference to copy directories
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Audit source directory for symlinksBefore copying any directory from untrusted or external sources, run `find <directory> -type l` to list all symlinks within that source directoryAffected if The source directory contains symlinks and you plan to copy it with -P or -a flags
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Review copy operations targeting sensitive destinationsExamine any cp operations that copy directories to system directories (/etc, /var, /usr) or other sensitive locations using -P or --no-dereferenceAffected if Directories containing symlinks are being copied to sensitive system locations with symlink-preservation flags
If you use cp with the -P or --no-dereference flag to copy directories that may contain symlinks, particularly from untrusted sources, your environment is affected by this vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply vendor patches for the coreutils package in affected operating systems; avoid copying untrusted directories with -P or -a flags when symlinks may be present in source.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2007-4998 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-4998 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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