Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw affects RPM 4.8.0 and earlier during package upgrade or removal. A local user may be able to preserve unintended access to a replaced or deleted executable by abusing hard links and POSIX ACL metadata handling. The issue is old and local-only, but it matters on legacy systems with untrusted local users.
Executive priority
Treat this as a legacy Linux hygiene issue unless affected systems host untrusted local users. Prioritize inventory and vendor-supported RPM updates over emergency response, because no active exploitation evidence is provided.
Technical view
In lib/fsm.c, RPM did not properly reset executable file metadata when replacing files during upgrades or deleting files during removals. The described impact is bypassing intended access restrictions through a hard link to a vulnerable executable with a POSIX ACL. The CVE notes it is related to CVE-2010-2059.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on legacy systems running RPM 4.8.0 or earlier, particularly where local users can create hard links and POSIX ACLs are used on executables. The provided sources do not identify specific Linux distributions, package builds, or fixed versions.
Exploitation context
The provided bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Abuse requires local access and specific filesystem/package lifecycle conditions involving RPM upgrade or removal behavior, hard links, and POSIX ACL metadata.
Researcher notes
The public description is narrow and lacks CVSS, CWE, affected distribution mapping, and fixed-version detail. Validation should focus on RPM version, local user model, POSIX ACL usage, and vendor backport status. Do not assume a system is fixed solely from upstream version numbering.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory systems for RPM 4.8.0 or earlier.
- Check vendor advisories and package changelogs for a CVE-2010-2199 fix.
- Upgrade to vendor-supported RPM packages when available.
- Limit untrusted local shell access on affected legacy systems.
- Review hard-link and POSIX ACL policies on shared systems.
Validation and detection
- Confirm the installed RPM package version on each system.
- Verify whether POSIX ACLs are used on executable files.
- Assess whether untrusted users can create hard links locally.
- Review vendor advisories for CVE-2010-2199 and CVE-2010-2059 coverage.
- Test package upgrade and removal behavior only in a controlled lab.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2010-2199 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- rpm-fsm-security-bypass(59416)CVE reference · vdb-entry, x_refsource_XF
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=125517CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.