DpkgApplication · Debian
CVE-2011-0402
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 · unediteddpkg-source in dpkg before 1.14.31 and 1.15.x allows user-assisted remote attackers to modify arbitrary files via a symlink attack on unspecified files in the .pc directory.
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 confidencedpkg-source (part of the dpkg package management suite) before versions 1.14.31 and 1.15.x contains a symlink vulnerability in its patch application mechanism. Attackers can exploit the .pc directory (patch metadata directory) by creating malicious symlinks, allowing user-assisted remote attackers to modify 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
DpkgApplication
<= 1.14.30= 1.9.19= 1.9.20= 1.9.21= 1.10= 1.10.1= 1.10.2= 1.10.3= 1.10.4= 1.10.5= 1.10.6= 1.10.7CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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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Determine installed dpkg versionRun `dpkg --version` or `dpkg-query -W dpkg` to retrieve the installed dpkg package versionAffected if The version is 1.14.30 or earlier, or matches one of the specific affected versions (1.9.19, 1.9.20, 1.9.21, 1.10, 1.10.1, 1.10.2, 1.10.3, 1.10.4, 1.10.5, 1.10.6, 1.10.7)
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Identify dpkg-source binary locationRun `which dpkg-source` or `dpkg -L dpkg | grep dpkg-source` to locate the dpkg-source binaryAffected if The binary exists and its version cannot be determined or matches the vulnerable dpkg version range
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Check if source package extraction is usedInspect system usage of dpkg-source by reviewing any scripts, build processes, or automated systems that extract Debian source packages using `dpkg-source -x`Affected if The system processes untrusted or third-party Debian source packages (.dsc files) using dpkg-source
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Verify .pc directory creation behaviorExtract a test source package in an isolated directory and observe if a .pc (patch directory) is created with permissions that allow symlink traversalAffected if The .pc directory is created with weak permissions (world-writable or owned by a different user) allowing symlink attacks
The system is affected if dpkg version is 1.14.30 or earlier (or one of the specific versions 1.9.19 through 1.10.7) AND the system processes untrusted Debian source packages using dpkg-source.
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 dpkg to version 1.14.31 or later (or 1.16.x and above) to patch this vulnerability. Additionally, ensure that .pc directories in source packages are created with secure permissions and validated before use.
Fix this in Dpkg
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-2011-0402 — 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-2011-0402 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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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
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