CVE-2008-5143
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 · uneditedmgt-helper in multi-gnome-terminal 1.6.2 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a (1) /tmp/*.debug or (2) /tmp/*.env temporary file.
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 mgt-helper binary in multi-gnome-terminal 1.6.2 creates temporary files in /tmp/ with predictable names (*.debug and *.env) without checking if they are symlinks before writing. A local attacker can create a symlink with the same name pointing to an arbitrary file (e.g., /etc/passwd or ~/.bashrc), causing mgt-helper to overwrite that file when executed by a legitimate user.
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= 1.6.2CVSS 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.
-
Verify multi-gnome-terminal versionCheck if multi-gnome-terminal package version is 1.6.2 using package manager (dpkg -l multi-gnome-terminal or rpm -q multi-gnome-terminal) or check the application about dialogAffected if The installed version is exactly 1.6.2
-
Locate the mgt-helper binarySearch for the mgt-helper binary in the system using 'which mgt-helper' or 'find /usr -name mgt-helper 2>/dev/null'Affected if The mgt-helper binary exists in the system and belongs to multi-gnome-terminal 1.6.2
-
Confirm temporary file behaviorExecute mgt-helper and observe which files it creates in /tmp (look for *.debug and *.env files)Affected if The binary creates files with predictable names (*.debug and *.env) in /tmp without checking for existing symlinks
-
Check for pre-existing symlinks in /tmpList any files named *.debug or *.env in /tmp that are symlinks using 'ls -la /tmp/*.debug /tmp/*.env 2>/dev/null'Affected if Symlinks with names matching the pattern (mgt-*.debug or mgt-*.env) already exist in /tmp pointing to sensitive files
A system is affected if multi-gnome-terminal version 1.6.2 is installed and the mgt-helper binary is present, creating predictable temporary files in /tmp without symlink checks.
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 dataReplace insecure temporary file handling with secure methods (e.g., mkstemp() or File::Temp in Perl), implement symlink checks before file operations, or use a private temporary directory (e.g., via Environment::TEMP or setting TMPDIR to a secure location).
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-5143 — 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-2008-5143 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