A vulnerability in the London Trust Media Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN Client v0.9.8 beta (build 02099) for macOS could allow an authenticated, local attacker to overwrite arbitrary files. When the client initiates a connection, the XML /tmp/pia-watcher.plist file is created. If the file exists, it will be truncated and the contents completely overwritten. This file is removed on disconnect. An unprivileged user can create a hard or soft link to arbitrary files owned by any user on the system, including root. This creates a denial of service condition and possible data loss if leveraged by a malicious local user.
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.
| Link | Tags |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/mirchr/security-research/blob/master/vulnerabilities/PIA/CVE-2019-12571.txt | third party advisory exploit |