dbcve.org
Yast2 MultipathApplication · Opensuse

CVE-2018-17955

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-03-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
In yast2-multipath before version 4.1.1 a static temporary filename allows local attackers to overwrite files on systems without symlink protection

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 confidence

The yast2-multipath package before version 4.1.1 uses a static, predictable temporary filename when creating temporary files. A local attacker can pre-create a symbolic link with that filename pointing to a target file (such as a system configuration or sensitive file). When the vulnerable software runs, it follows the symlink and writes to the target file, allowing local privilege escalation or denial of service on systems without symlink attack protection.

MitigationUpgrade yast2-multipath to version 4.1.1 or later, which implements secure temporary file creation using dynamic filename generation (e.g., mkstemp() or similar).

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
Yast2 MultipathApplication
Affected:< 4.1.1

CVSS 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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if yast2-multipath package is installed
    Run 'rpm -qa | grep yast2-multipath' on openSUSE systems or 'zypper se yast2-multipath' to list the package
    Affected if the package is not installed at all, the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Determine installed version of yast2-multipath
    Run 'rpm -q yast2-multipath' to display the currently installed version number
    Affected if the version shown is less than 4.1.1 (for example, 4.1.0, 4.0.x, or any earlier release)
  3. Check symlink attack protection status
    Inspect /proc/sys/fs/protected_symlinks - if it is set to 0, symlink attacks are permitted; if set to 1, the kernel blocks dangerous symlink traversals
    Affected if protected_symlinks is set to 0 and yast2-multipath version is below 4.1.1 - the flaw is fully exploitable

You are affected if yast2-multipath is installed with a version lower than 4.1.1 and your system has symlink protection disabled (protected_symlinks=0).

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.1.1 or later
Fixed in 4.1.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade yast2-multipath to version 4.1.1 or later, which implements secure temporary file creation using dynamic filename generation (e.g., mkstemp() or similar).

Fix this in Yast2 Multipath Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17955 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-17955 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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