CVE-2017-7501
rpm: Following symlinks to files when installing packages allows privilege escalation
Severity
ModerateRed Hat Product Security
CVSS 3.0
Review impact separately from score.
Published · July 3, 2017
Updated · May 13, 2026
Description
It was found that rpm uses temporary files with predictable names when installing an RPM. An attacker with ability to write in a directory where files will be installed could create symbolic links to an arbitrary location and modify content, and possibly permissions to arbitrary files, which could be used for denial of service or possibly privilege escalation.
Statement
Red Hat Product Security has rated this issue as having Moderate security impact. This issue is not currently planned to be addressed in future updates. For additional information, refer to the Issue Severity Classification: https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/.
CVSS score applicability
The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.
Mitigation
No mitigation is specified in collected source.
CVSS / CWE
CVSS 3.0 · 7.3CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CWE-59 · Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')