CVE-2020-10174
init_tmp in TeeJee.FileSystem.vala in Timeshift before 20.03 unsafely reuses a preexisting...
init_tmp in TeeJee.FileSystem.vala in Timeshift before 20.03 unsafely reuses a preexisting temporary directory in the predictable location /tmp/timeshift. It follows symlinks in this location or uses directories owned by unprivileged users. Because Timeshift also executes scripts under this location, an attacker can attempt to win a race condition to replace scripts created by Timeshift with attacker-controlled scripts. Upon success, an attacker-controlled script is executed with full root privileges. This logic is practically always triggered when Timeshift runs regardless of the command-line arguments used.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
7.0
init_tmp in TeeJee.FileSystem.vala in Timeshift before 20.03 unsafely reuses a preexisting temporary directory in the predictable location /tmp/timeshift. It follows symlinks in this location or uses directories owned by unprivileged users. Because Timeshift also executes scripts under this location, an attacker can attempt to win a race condition to replace scripts created by Timeshift with attacker-controlled scripts. Upon success, an attacker-controlled script is executed with full root privileges. This logic is practically always triggered when Timeshift runs regardless of the command-line arguments used.
- Record
CVE-2020-10174- CVSS 3.1
- 7.0 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 6.9 Medium
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C - Weakness
- CWE-59, CWE-362
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
init_tmp in TeeJee.FileSystem.vala in Timeshift before 20.03 unsafely reuses a preexisting temporary directory in the predictable location /tmp/timeshift. It follows symlinks in this location or uses directories owned by unprivileged users. Because Timeshift also executes scripts under this location, an attacker can attempt to win a race condition to replace scripts created by Timeshift with attacker-controlled scripts. Upon success, an attacker-controlled script is executed with full root privileges. This logic is practically always triggered when Timeshift runs regardless of the command-line arguments used.
- Record
CVE-2020-10174- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-2637 No score
init_tmp in TeeJee.FileSystem.vala in Timeshift before 20.03 unsafely reuses a preexisting temporary directory in the predictable location /tmp/timeshift. It follows symlinks in this location or uses directories owned by unprivileged users. Because Timeshift also executes scripts under this location, an attacker can attempt to win a race condition to replace scripts created by Timeshift with attacker-controlled scripts. Upon success, an attacker-controlled script is executed with full root privileges. This logic is practically always triggered when Timeshift runs regardless of the command-line arguments used.
- Record
EUVD-2020-2637- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-mw9g-hwpr-h3rv No score
init_tmp in TeeJee.FileSystem.vala in Timeshift before 20.03 unsafely reuses a preexisting...
init_tmp in TeeJee.FileSystem.vala in Timeshift before 20.03 unsafely reuses a preexisting temporary directory in the predictable location /tmp/timeshift. It follows symlinks in this location or uses directories owned by unprivileged users. Because Timeshift also executes scripts under this location, an attacker can attempt to win a race condition to replace scripts created by Timeshift with attacker-controlled scripts. Upon success, an attacker-controlled script is executed with full root privileges. This logic is practically always triggered when Timeshift runs regardless of the command-line arguments used.
- Record
GHSA-mw9g-hwpr-h3rv- Weakness
- CWE-362
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.0
init_tmp in TeeJee.FileSystem.vala in Timeshift before 20.03 unsafely reuses a preexisting temporary directory in the predictable location /tmp/timeshift. It follows symlinks in this location or uses directories owned by unprivileged users. Because Timeshift also executes scripts under this location, an attacker can attempt to win a race condition to replace scripts created by Timeshift with attacker-controlled scripts. Upon success, an attacker-controlled script is executed with full root privileges. This logic is practically always triggered when Timeshift runs regardless of the command-line arguments used.
- Record
CVE-2020-10174- CVSS 3.1
- 7.0 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2020-10174
7.0
init_tmp in TeeJee.FileSystem.vala in Timeshift before 20.03 unsafely reuses a preexisting temporary directory in the predictable location /tmp/timeshift. It follows symlinks in this location or uses directories owned by unprivileged users. Because Timeshift also executes scripts under this location, an attacker can attempt to win a race condition to replace scripts created by Timeshift with attacker-controlled scripts. Upon success, an attacker-controlled script is executed with full root privileges. This logic is practically always triggered when Timeshift runs regardless of the command-line arguments used.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2020-10174- CVSS 3.1
- 7.0 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| facts | ||
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2020-10174 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.0) in Timeshift Project Timeshift, published March 5, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.28%, the 20th percentile. Fixed in timeshift 20.03+ds-1.
References
bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1165802
github.com/teejee2008/timeshift/commit/335b3d5398079278b8f7094c77bfd148b315b462
github.com/teejee2008/timeshift/releases/tag/v20.03
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/03/06/3
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/TXXYQFSZ5P6ZMNFIDBAQKBFZIR2T7ZLL
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/SXDEPC52G46U6I7GLQNFLZXVSM7V2HYY
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lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/AAOFXT64CEUMJE3723JDJWTEQWQUCYMD
usn.ubuntu.com/4312-1
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-10174
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/AAOFXT64CEUMJE3723JDJWTEQWQUCYMD
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/SXDEPC52G46U6I7GLQNFLZXVSM7V2HYY
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/TXXYQFSZ5P6ZMNFIDBAQKBFZIR2T7ZLL
github.com/advisories/GHSA-mw9g-hwpr-h3rv
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2020-10174