CVE-2008-1570
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 · uneditedRace condition in the create_lockpath function in policyd-weight 0.1.14 beta-16 allows local users to modify or delete arbitrary files by creating the LOCKPATH directory, then modifying it after the symbolic link check occurs. NOTE: this is due to an incomplete fix for CVE-2008-1569.
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 confidenceA time-of-check-to-time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the create_lockpath function of policyd-weight 0.1.14 beta-16 allows local users to manipulate arbitrary files by creating the LOCKPATH directory, then modifying it after the symbolic link check occurs but before the operation completes. This is an incomplete fix for the related CVE-2008-1569.
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= 0.1.14_beta-14CVSS 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.
-
Identify if policyd-weight is installedRun 'rpm -qa | grep -i policyd-weight' or 'dpkg -l | grep -i policyd-weight' or check for the binary at /usr/sbin/policyd-weightAffected if The package or binary exists on the system
-
Determine the installed versionRun 'policyd-weight -v' or check the package version with 'rpm -q policyd-weight' or 'dpkg -s policyd-weight'Affected if The version is 0.1.14_beta-14 (exact match)
-
Locate the create_lockpath functionExamine the policyd-weight source code or binary for the create_lockpath function, typically found in the main perl script (policyd-weight or policyd-weight.pl)Affected if The create_lockpath function is present in the installed version
-
Check if lockpath directory creation is triggeredReview the configuration or runtime behavior to see if the lockpath feature is actively used - check for LOCKPATH variable or lock directory creation in logsAffected if The lockpath directory creation code path is executed during policyd-weight operation
The environment is affected only if policyd-weight version 0.1.14_beta-14 is installed and the create_lockpath function is actively used, since the vulnerability requires the specific race condition window during lockpath directory operations.
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 dataImplement atomic file operations or proper file locking to eliminate the race window between symlink checks and filesystem operations. Ensure all file/directory creation uses O_NOFOLLOW and performs operations atomically.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-1570 — 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-2008-1570 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data