CVE-2019-14865
Description
A flaw was found in the grub2-set-bootflag utility of grub2. A local attacker could run this utility under resource pressure (for example by setting RLIMIT), causing grub2 configuration files to be truncated and leaving the system unbootable on subsequent reboots.
Statement
grub-set-bootflag is a command line to set bootflags in GRUB's stored environment. This is a downstream utility which is shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and Fedora. A flaw was found in this application which would could allow a local attacker (someone having a local account on the system) to cause grub configuration files to be truncated. Whenever the machine was rebooted, grub would fail to read the configuration files and the system would be rendered unbootable.
Mitigation
Remove the "grub-set-bootflag" from the system, by manually the deleting the binary file. Note: On subsequent updates of the "grub2-tools-minimal" rpm, the file will be re-installed.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.9 | 5.9 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | N/A |
| User Interaction | Required | Required | N/A |
| Scope | Changed | Changed | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | None | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Access Control
Technical Impact: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
A user can access restricted functionality and/or sensitive information that may include administrative functionality and user accounts.
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Tavis Ormandy for reporting this issue.
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