HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2020-8833
MEDIUM

CVE-2020-8833

CWE-367Published: April 22, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

4.7
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Time-of-check Time-of-use Race Condition vulnerability on crash report ownership change in Apport allows for a possible privilege escalation opportunity. If fs.protected_symlinks is disabled, this can be exploited between the os.open and os.chown calls when the Apport cron script clears out crash files of size 0. A symlink with the same name as the deleted file can then be created upon which chown will be called, changing the file owner to root. Fixed in versions 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.23, 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.14, 2.20.11-0ubuntu8.8 and 2.20.11-0ubuntu22.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-8833 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), with a CVSS base score of 4.7.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Affected Vendors & Products

apport_project1 product(s)
apport
Canonical1 product(s)
ubuntu linux
Source: NVD CPE · 5 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

All References (6)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2020-8833
CVSS Score4.7 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-367
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedApr 22, 2020

Related CVEs (CWE-367)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2020-8833 in threat intel feeds
  • Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.