Debian 11 — liblnk — multiple vulnerabilities (6 CVEs) — patch and remediation guide

📖 ~4 min read  •  Source: Debian Security Tracker

Related CVEs: CVE-2018-12096 CVE-2018-12097 CVE-2018-12098 CVE-2019-17263 CVE-2019-17264 CVE-2019-17401

Upstream summary: The liblnk_data_string_get_utf8_string_size function in liblnk_data_string.c in liblnk through 2018-04-19 allows remote attackers to cause an information disclosure (heap-based buffer over-read) via a crafted lnk file. NOTE: the vendor has disputed this as described in libyal/liblnk issue 33 on GitHub

Table of contents

1. Symptom & Impact
2. Environment & Reproduction
3. Root Cause Analysis
4. Quick Triage
5. Step-by-Step Diagnosis
6. Solution – Primary Fix
7. Solution – Alternative Approaches
8. Verification & Acceptance Criteria
9. Rollback Plan
10. Prevention & Hardening
11. Related Errors & Cross-Refs
12. References & Further Reading

Symptom & Impact

On Debian 11 (bullseye) hosts that have liblnk installed, administrators observe behaviour consistent with Debian Security Tracker: apt reports pending security updates, services backed by liblnk fail or restart unexpectedly, and — for security-rated advisories — the host is exposed to the vulnerability set above. Impact ranges from a single service-restart loop to wider availability incidents whenever liblnk sits on the serving path.

Environment & Reproduction

Reproduction targets Debian 11 (bullseye). Confirm release and installed package:

cat /etc/debian_version
lsb_release -a 2>/dev/null || cat /etc/os-release
dpkg -l liblnk | tail -2
apt-cache policy liblnk
dpkg-query -W -f='${Status}\n' liblnk

Trigger the workflow that exposes liblnk — multiple vulnerabilities (6 CVEs) — patch and remediation guide while collecting:

sudo journalctl -u liblnk -b --no-pager | tail -200
sudo journalctl -xe --no-pager | tail -200
sudo tail -200 /var/log/apt/history.log
sudo tail -200 /var/log/dpkg.log

Root Cause Analysis

Root cause is tracked at Debian Security Tracker. The Debian Security Team shipped fixes in the corresponding liblnk point release for Debian 11 (suite bullseye-security); running an outdated build leaves the host exposed to the failure modes referenced above. Correlate apt history with the journal:

grep -A2 -B2 liblnk /var/log/apt/history.log
zgrep -A2 -B2 liblnk /var/log/apt/history.log.*.gz 2>/dev/null
cat /proc/sys/kernel/tainted   # non-zero = tainted kernel / out-of-tree modules

Quick Triage

Run these on Debian 11 to capture the current state of liblnk:

dpkg -l liblnk | tail -1                   # installed version
dpkg -V liblnk                              # verify shipped files
sudo apt update && apt list --upgradable 2>/dev/null | grep -i security
systemctl --failed --no-pager
sudo nft list ruleset 2>/dev/null | head -50
sudo aa-status 2>/dev/null | head -20      # AppArmor profiles
# If liblnk ships a systemd unit (unit name may differ from pkg, e.g. bind9→named,
# postgresql-NN→postgresql@NN-main, php-fpm→php<ver>-fpm):
systemctl list-unit-files | grep -i liblnk | head

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

1. List failed systemd units.

   systemctl --failed --no-pager

2. Tail the journal for liblnk and the system bus.

   sudo journalctl -u liblnk -f --no-pager
   sudo journalctl -xe -f --no-pager

3. Inspect firewall state (this OS defaults to nftables).

   sudo nft list ruleset
   sudo nft list tables

4. Verify liblnk file integrity and reinstall if anything is altered.

   sudo dpkg -V liblnk
   sudo debsums -c liblnk 2>/dev/null
   sudo apt install --reinstall -y liblnk

5. Check AppArmor denials (Debian 11+ default-enabled).

   sudo journalctl -k | grep -i 'apparmor="DENIED"' | tail -30
   sudo aa-status | grep -i liblnk

6. Correlate findings with /var/log/apt/history.log, /var/log/dpkg.log, and Debian Security Tracker to pin the change that introduced liblnk — multiple vulnerabilities (6 CVEs) — patch and remediation guide.

Solution – Primary Fix

Apply the corrective apt transaction documented in Debian Security Tracker from the security suite, then reload the affected unit:

sudo apt update
sudo apt -y install --only-upgrade liblnk
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
# Unit name may differ from package name; check first:
systemctl list-unit-files | grep -i liblnk | head
sudo systemctl restart liblnk
dpkg -l liblnk | tail -1                # confirm new version
systemctl is-active liblnk 2>/dev/null  # confirm running (if a unit exists)

For kernel / glibc / systemd / openssl advisories a reboot is required:

sudo apt install -y needrestart
sudo needrestart -r l       # list services that need restart
sudo systemctl reboot       # or: sudo shutdown -r now

Solution – Alternative Approaches

If the primary upgrade is not viable, pick from these:

• Pin a known-good version via apt preferences:

  # /etc/apt/preferences.d/liblnk.pref
  Package: liblnk
  Pin: version <good-version>
  Pin-Priority: 1001

• Mark the package on hold so apt cannot upgrade it:

  sudo apt-mark hold liblnk
  apt-mark showhold | grep liblnk
  # Release the hold later with:
  sudo apt-mark unhold liblnk

• Downgrade to an older NVR if a regression is suspected:

  apt-cache madison liblnk
  sudo apt install --allow-downgrades -y liblnk=<older-version>

• Switch firewall backend between iptables-legacy and nftables (Debian 10+):

  sudo update-alternatives --config iptables
  sudo update-alternatives --config ip6tables
  sudo systemctl restart netfilter-persistent 2>/dev/null

• Take only the security archive update and defer the full point-release upgrade:

  # /etc/apt/sources.list.d/bullseye-security-only.list
  deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye-security main contrib non-free
  # then:
  sudo apt update && sudo apt -y install --only-upgrade -t bullseye-security liblnk

• Investigate AppArmor blocking the new binary; switch the profile to complain mode briefly:

  sudo aa-complain /etc/apparmor.d/usr.sbin.liblnk 2>/dev/null
  # reproduce, capture denials, then re-enforce:
  sudo aa-enforce /etc/apparmor.d/usr.sbin.liblnk 2>/dev/null

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

All of these should pass after the fix is applied:

dpkg -l liblnk | tail -1                                  # expected fixed version
apt list --upgradable 2>/dev/null | grep -i security || echo OK
systemctl is-active liblnk 2>/dev/null                    # active (if a unit exists)
sudo journalctl -u liblnk --since "5 minutes ago" --no-pager   # no new errors
sudo nft list ruleset | head
sudo aa-status 2>/dev/null | head -5

The original reproduction for liblnk — multiple vulnerabilities (6 CVEs) — patch and remediation guide must not trigger across two consecutive runs.

Rollback Plan

Capture state before any change:

apt list --installed 2>/dev/null > /root/apt-pre.txt
dpkg --get-selections > /root/dpkg-pre.txt
# LVM snapshot of the root LV (only if root sits on LVM):
sudo lvcreate -L 4G -s -n root_pre_patch /dev/<vg>/<root-lv>

To revert:

sudo apt install --allow-downgrades -y liblnk=<old-version>
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart liblnk
# If a kernel was rolled back, reboot and select the previous kernel from GRUB:
sudo systemctl reboot
# LVM snapshot merge (offline / on next reboot):
sudo lvconvert --merge /dev/<vg>/root_pre_patch

Prevention & Hardening

Reduce the chance of this recurring on Debian 11:

• Enable scheduled security updates via unattended-upgrades:

  sudo apt install -y unattended-upgrades apt-listchanges
  sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades
  # /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades:
  Unattended-Upgrade::Origins-Pattern { "origin=Debian,codename=${distro_codename},label=Debian-Security"; };

• Install needrestart so services restart automatically after library upgrades:

  sudo apt install -y needrestart
  # /etc/needrestart/needrestart.conf -> $nrconf{restart} = 'a';

• Subscribe to debian-security-announce and watch security-tracker.debian.org.

• Mirror locally for controlled rollouts:

  sudo apt install -y apt-mirror
  # /etc/apt/mirror.list:
  deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye main contrib non-free
  deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye-security main contrib non-free
  sudo apt-mirror

• Monitor file integrity with debsums and AIDE:

  sudo apt install -y debsums aide
  sudo debsums -ca           # report only changed conffile-less files
  sudo aideinit && sudo mv /var/lib/aide/aide.db.new /var/lib/aide/aide.db
  sudo aide --check

• Apply CIS Debian Linux Benchmark hardening and review auditd rules in /etc/audit/rules.d/.

Related Errors & Cross-Refs

Issues that commonly surface alongside liblnk — multiple vulnerabilities (6 CVEs) — patch and remediation guide: apt lock contention, broken dpkg state, systemd ordering cycles, AppArmor denials, and firewall rule drift. Useful triage:

sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt --fix-broken install
systemd-analyze critical-chain
sudo journalctl -k | grep -i apparmor | tail
cat /proc/sys/kernel/tainted

View all debian-11 tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

Primary reference: Debian Security Tracker. Manual pages useful on Debian 11:

man apt
man apt-get
man apt-mark
man dpkg
man systemctl
man journalctl
man nft
man apparmor
man unattended-upgrades

Other resources: The Debian Administrator’s Handbook, Debian Security FAQ, Debian Security Tracker, and per-package notes in /usr/share/doc/liblnk/ for components implicated in liblnk — multiple vulnerabilities (6 CVEs) — patch and remediation guide.