postfix_groups.pl in Postfix 2.5.2 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the (1) /tmp/postfix_groups.stdout, (2) /tmp/postfix_groups.stderr, and (3) /tmp/postfix_groups.message temporary files
Published Nov 6, 2008
6.9
MEDIUMCVSS 2.0
EPSS 0.37%
Description
postfix_groups.pl in Postfix 2.5.2 allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on the (1) /tmp/postfix_groups.stdout, (2) /tmp/postfix_groups.stderr, and (3) /tmp/postfix_groups.message temporary files. NOTE: the vendor disputes this vulnerability, stating "This is not a real issue ... users would have to edit a script under /usr/lib to enable it.
Affected products
Remediation
Red Hat statement
Not vulnerable. This issue did not affect the versions of postfix as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3, 4, or 5. Mentioned script is not part of the official postfix distribution and is not included in Red Hat Enterprise Linux postfix packages.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
No CVSS v3.1 score for this CVE.
No CVSS v3.0 score for this CVE.
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
No CISA SSVC assessment for this CVE yet.
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.
Score over time
2022–2026- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Percentile over time
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Table of values (9 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | 0.37% (0.00374) | 28.99th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 0.37% (0.00374) | 29.01th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 0.03% (0.00025) | 4.02th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 12, 2024 | 0.04% (0.00042) | 5.07th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 0.04% (0.00042) | 5.63th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 0.95% (0.00950) | 32.28th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Sep 10, 2022 | 0.95% (0.00950) | 30.63th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Apr 1, 2022 | 0.95% (0.00950) | 28.61th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 4, 2022 | 0.95% (0.00950) | 13.46th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
References (8)
- http://bugs.debian.org/496401 x_refsource_MISC
- http://dev.gentoo.org/~rbu/security/debiantemp/postfix x_refsource_MISCExploit
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2008/10/30/2 mailing-listx_refsource_MLIST
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2008-4977 Vendor Advisory
- https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=235770 x_refsource_MISC
- https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=235811 x_refsource_MISC
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-4977
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-4977
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| http://bugs.debian.org/496401 | x_refsource_MISC | |
| http://dev.gentoo.org/~rbu/security/debiantemp/postfix | x_refsource_MISCExploit | |
| http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2008/10/30/2 | mailing-listx_refsource_MLIST | |
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2008-4977 | Vendor Advisory | |
| https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=235770 | x_refsource_MISC | |
| https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=235811 | x_refsource_MISC | |
| https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-4977 | ||
| https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-4977 |
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.