os._execvpe from os.py in Python 2.2.1 and earlier creates temporary files with predictable names, which could allow local users to execute arbitrary code via a symlink attack.

Zack Weinberg discovered an insecure use of a temporary file in os._execvpe from os.py. It uses a predictable name which could lead execution of arbitrary code.

A vulnerability was discovered in python by Zack Weinberg in the way that the execvpe() method from the os.py module uses a temporary file name. The file is created in an unsafe manner and execvpe() tries to execute it, which can be used by a local attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privilege of the user running the python code that is using this method.

Update :

The previously released packages for 9.0 had an incorrect dependency on libdb.so.2 instead of libdb.so.3. This update corrects that problem.

An insecure use of a temporary file has been found in Python.

Python is an interpreted, interactive, object-oriented programming language.

Zack Weinberg discovered that os._execvpe from os.py in Python 2.2.1 and earlier creates temporary files with predictable names. This could allow local users to execute arbitrary code via a symlink attack

All users should upgrade to these errata packages which include a patch to python 1.5.2 to correct this issue.

ID	Name	Product	Family	Severity
14996	Debian DSA-159-1 : python - insecure temporary files	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	medium
13980	Mandrake Linux Security Advisory : python (MDKSA-2002:082-1)	Nessus	Mandriva Local Security Checks	medium
12362	RHEL 2.1 : python (RHSA-2003:048)	Nessus	Red Hat Local Security Checks	medium

Detections

Analytics

CVE-2002-1119

high

Tenable Plugins

medium

medium

medium