CVE-2019-3693: Local privilege escalation from user wwwrun to root in the packaging of mailman

Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Fix not verified

What, why and how

A symlink following vulnerability in the packaging of mailman in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12; openSUSE Leap 15.1 allowed local attackers to escalate their privileges from user wwwrun to root. Additionally arbitrary files could be changed to group mailman. This issue affects: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 mailman versions prior to 2.1.15-9.6.15.1. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 mailman versions prior to 2.1.17-3.11.1. openSUSE Leap 15.1 mailman version 2.1.29-lp151.2.14 and prior versions.

What

Why

The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

Why

The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

How

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation

Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.

No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material

Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.

None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path: local access → Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface: Local
Privileges required: None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction: None
Attack complexity: Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary: Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness ? CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.: CWE-59 ↗
CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following'). The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
CVSS vector ? CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.
Post-exploitation / living off the land: The issue can support a local privilege or sandbox boundary transition; normal system utilities may then be available in the gained context.

UnauthenticatedCWE-59

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2019-13328Official EUVD mapping

0 linked advisory records.

Official EUVD record ↗

JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2019-014422SUSE Linux Enterprise Server mailman および openSUSE Leap mailman におけるリンク解釈に関する脆弱性

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server mailman および openSUSE Leap mailman には、リンク解釈に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status ? Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.: Fix not verified
Affected: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11: mailman < 2.1.15-9.6.15.1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12: mailman < 2.1.17-3.11.1
Leap 15.1: mailman ≤ 2.1.29-lp151.2.14
Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action: No verified patch reference is present in the current structured sources. Check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Workaround: No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.

Evidence and provenance

Published 24 Jan 2020 · Last source change 17 Sept 2024, 02:46 UTC · CWE-59 · Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1

CVSS sourceCNA

EPSS source

The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.

FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14

European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2019-13328

Product sourceCNA

Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references

CWE sourceCNA

NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗

No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.

2020-01-24CVE published

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2019-13328↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Vendor advisory↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗

Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report

CVE: Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS: Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS: Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE: Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA: CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD: National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT: A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC: Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF: Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL: Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.

Local privilege escalation from user wwwrun to root in the packaging of mailman

Published severity in operational context

Evidence used

Compensating controls

Verification

National CERT insights
?
CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

EUVD-2019-13328