CVE-2023-38497
📋 TL;DR
Cargo, Rust's package manager, didn't respect the umask when extracting crate archives on UNIX-like systems, allowing local users to modify downloaded dependencies. This could let attackers alter source code compiled and executed by other users. Affects Rust projects using Cargo versions before 0.72.2 on UNIX-like systems.
💻 Affected Systems
- Cargo (Rust package manager)
- Rust programming language
📦 What is this software?
Cargo by Rust Lang
Fedora by Fedoraproject
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local privilege escalation leading to arbitrary code execution as the target user, potentially compromising the entire system.
Likely Case
Local user modifies dependencies to inject malicious code into another user's Rust project, leading to data theft or further system compromise.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if proper file permissions are enforced and systems are isolated.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local user access and knowledge of target user's Cargo cache location.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Cargo 0.72.2 / Rust 1.71.1
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/security/advisories/GHSA-j3xp-wfr4-hx87
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Rust using rustup: `rustup update stable` 2. Verify Cargo version: `cargo --version` should show 0.72.2 or higher 3. Cargo will automatically purge old caches on first run after update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Cargo directory permissions
linuxSet strict permissions on ~/.cargo directory to prevent other users from accessing it
chmod 700 ~/.cargo
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate user environments to prevent local user access to others' home directories
- Run Cargo builds in isolated containers or virtual machines
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Cargo version: `cargo --version`. If version is below 0.72.2, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
cargo --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Run `cargo --version` and confirm version is 0.72.2 or higher. Check ~/.cargo directory permissions with `ls -la ~/.cargo`.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected file modifications in ~/.cargo/registry/src/
- Multiple users accessing same Cargo cache files
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local file system vulnerability
SIEM Query:
File integrity monitoring alerts for ~/.cargo/registry/src/ directory modifications by non-owner users🔗 References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umask
- https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/commit/d78bbf4bde3c6b95caca7512f537c6f9721426ff
- https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/pull/12443
- https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/security/advisories/GHSA-j3xp-wfr4-hx87
- https://github.com/rust-lang/wg-security-response/tree/main/patches/CVE-2023-38497
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QGKE6PGM4HIQUHPJRBQAHMELINSGN4H4/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QMEXGUGPW5OBSQA6URTBNDSU3RAEFOZ4/
- https://www.rust-lang.org/policies/security
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umask
- https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/commit/d78bbf4bde3c6b95caca7512f537c6f9721426ff
- https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/pull/12443
- https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/security/advisories/GHSA-j3xp-wfr4-hx87
- https://github.com/rust-lang/wg-security-response/tree/main/patches/CVE-2023-38497
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QGKE6PGM4HIQUHPJRBQAHMELINSGN4H4/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QMEXGUGPW5OBSQA6URTBNDSU3RAEFOZ4/
- https://www.rust-lang.org/policies/security
