CVE-2007-5377
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 · uneditedThe (1) tramp-make-temp-file and (2) tramp-make-tramp-temp-file functions in Tramp 2.1.10 extension for Emacs, and possibly earlier 2.1.x versions, allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on temporary files.
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 · moderate confidenceThe Tramp Emacs extension versions 2.1.10 and possibly earlier 2.1.x contain insecure temporary file creation in the tramp-make-temp-file and tramp-make-tramp-temp-file functions. These functions fail to properly secure temp file creation, allowing local users to perform a symlink attack that can overwrite arbitrary files on the system.
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= 2.1.10CVSS 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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Confirm Tramp is installedEvaluate (require 'tramp) in Emacs or check if the tramp package exists in your Emacs load-pathAffected if Tramp package is present in the Emacs environment
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Identify Tramp versionEvaluate (tramp-version) in Emacs or check the package version metadata for trampAffected if Version is 2.1.10 or any earlier 2.1.x release
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Verify temp directory configurationCheck the value of temporary-file-directory or small-temporary-file-directory Emacs variables; evaluate (expand-file-name "test" temporary-file-directory) to confirm the temp pathAffected if Temp directory is world-writable (typical default /tmp on Unix-like systems)
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Inspect temp file creation usageMonitor or trace calls to tramp-make-temp-file and tramp-make-tramp-temp-file functions during Tramp operations (remote file edits, SCP, FTP connections)Affected if These functions are invoked without the caller first validating that the target path is not a symlink
User is affected if running Tramp version 2.1.10 or earlier 2.1.x and performing remote file operations that trigger the vulnerable temp file creation functions in a world-writable temp directory.
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 dataUpgrade to a patched version of Tramp that implements secure temporary file creation using proper race-condition-free methods (e.g., mkstemp) and validates that target paths are not symlinks before creation.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2007-5377 — 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-2007-5377 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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