CVE-2014-2277
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 make_temporary_filename function in perltidy 20120701-1 and earlier allows local users to obtain sensitive information or write to arbitrary files via a symlink attack, related to use of the tmpnam function.
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 make_temporary_filename function in perltidy 20120701-1 and earlier uses the insecure tmpnam() function to generate temporary filenames. This creates a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerability where a local attacker can predict the temporary filename and create a symlink to intercept sensitive information or overwrite arbitrary files.
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<= 2012-07-01-1CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
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.
-
Check installed perltidy versionRun 'perltidy --version' or 'perltidy -v' to identify the installed version numberAffected if Version is 2012-07-01-1 or earlier (any version <= 20120701-1)
-
Verify temp file creation behaviorRun perltidy on a test Perl file and monitor /tmp for newly created files during execution using 'ls -la /tmp/perltidy*' or 'strace -f perltidy test.pl 2>&1 | grep tmpnam'Affected if perltidy creates temporary files using the insecure tmpnam() function (shows 'tmpnam' in strace output)
-
Check for existing perltidy temp filesRun 'ls -la /tmp/tmp*' and look for files matching perltidy naming patterns created around the time of executionAffected if Temp files exist with predictable names that could be exploited via symlink attacks
-
Assess /tmp directory writabilityCheck if the /tmp directory allows symlink creation by testing: 'touch /tmp/test_symlink && rm /tmp/test_symlink'Affected if User can create files/symlinks in /tmp, making the TOCTOU vulnerability exploitable
A system is affected if it runs perltidy version 2012-07-01-1 or earlier and operates in an environment where temporary files are created and /tmp is writable (allowing symlink-based exploitation).
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 the insecure tmpnam() call with Perl's File::Temp module which provides secure, unpredictable temporary file creation with proper handling of race conditions.
- 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.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-2277 — 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-2014-2277 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