CVE-2013-0261
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 · uneditedA flaw was found in PackStack. A local user could exploit a symlink attack on a temporary file with a predictable name in the `/tmp` directory. This vulnerability allows the local user to overwrite arbitrary files on the system, potentially leading to system compromise or data corruption.
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 confidencePackStack contains a time-of-check-time-of-use (TOCTOU) vulnerability where temporary files are created with predictable names in the /tmp directory. A local attacker can exploit this by pre-creating a symlink with the same predictable filename before the application writes to it, causing arbitrary file overwrite. This allows local privilege escalation or system compromise.
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 dataall versionsall 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Identify if PackStack is installedRun 'rpm -qa | grep -i packstack' (RHEL/CentOS) or check for PackStack in installed packages via package managerAffected if PackStack is not installed on the system (not affected)
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Determine installed PackStack versionRun 'packstack --version' or check the package version via package manager (e.g., 'rpm -qi packstack')Affected if The installed version corresponds to OpenStack Essex or Folsom releases (both all versions are affected)
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Locate PackStack installation directoryFind PackStack files - common locations include /usr/share/packstack or check via 'python -c "import packstack; print(packstack.__file__)"'Affected if PackStack is installed and version cannot be determined or confirms Essex/Folsom
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Inspect temp file creation in PackStack codeSearch PackStack source code for patterns like 'mkstemp' usage versus predictable naming: grep -r 'mktemp\|Temp\|tmp' in PackStack installation directory and check if files are created in /tmp with predictable namesAffected if Code creates temporary files in /tmp using predictable methods (mktemp with static patterns) rather than secure methods like mkstemp or File::Temp
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Check for existing symlink vulnerabilitiesMonitor /tmp directory for PackStack temp file creation patterns or audit /tmp for any files with predictable names related to PackStack operationsAffected if Temporary files with predictable/sequential names appear in /tmp during PackStack execution
The system is affected if PackStack is installed and running OpenStack Essex or Folsom versions, particularly if the code uses predictable temp file names in /tmp instead of secure alternatives.
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 predictable temp file creation with secure methods (mkstemp, File::Temp, or a private /tmp directory with restricted permissions) and validate that target paths are not symlinks before writing.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 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 $2,272.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-0261 — 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-2013-0261 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
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