CVE-2024-51491: notion-go is a collection of libraries for supporting sign and verify OCI artifacts. Based on Notary Project specifications. The issue was identified ...

Description

notion-go is a collection of libraries for supporting sign and verify OCI artifacts. Based on Notary Project specifications. The issue was identified during Quarkslab's security audit on the Certificate Revocation List (CRL) based revocation check feature. After retrieving the CRL, notation-go attempts to update the CRL cache using the os.Rename method. However, this operation may fail due to operating system-specific limitations, particularly when the source and destination paths are on different mount points. This failure could lead to an unexpected program termination. In method `crl.(*FileCache).Set`, a temporary file is created in the OS dedicated area (like /tmp for, usually, Linux/Unix). The file is written and then it is tried to move it to the dedicated `notation` cache directory thanks `os.Rename`. As specified in Go documentation, OS specific restriction may apply. When used with Linux OS, it is relying on rename syscall from the libc and as per the documentation, moving a file to a different mountpoint raises an EXDEV error, interpreted as Cross device link not permitted error. Some Linux distribution, like RedHat use a dedicated filesystem (tmpfs), mounted on a specific mountpoint (usually /tmp) for temporary files. When using such OS, revocation check based on CRL will repeatedly crash notation. As a result the signature verification process is aborted as process crashes. This issue has been addressed in version 1.3.0-rc.2 and all users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

3.3/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

EPSS Probability

0.19%

9.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-703

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Notaryproject	Notation-Go	< 1.3.0	—
Notaryproject	Notation-Go	1.3.0	Rc1

References

https://github.com/notaryproject/notation-go/commit/3c3302258ad510fbca2f8a73731569d91f07d196Patch
https://github.com/notaryproject/notation-go/security/advisories/GHSA-qjh3-4j3h-vmwpExploit, Third Party Advisory
https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/rename.2.htmlProduct
https://github.com/notaryproject/notation-go/security/advisories/GHSA-qjh3-4j3h-vmwpExploit, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jan 13, 2025
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-51491?

notion-go is a collection of libraries for supporting sign and verify OCI artifacts. Based on Notary Project specifications. The issue was identified during Quarkslab's security audit on the Certificate Revocation List (CRL) based revocation check feature. After retrieving the CRL, notation-go attempts to update the CRL cache using the os.Rename method. However, this operation may fail due to operating system-specific limitations, particularly when the source and destination paths are on different mount points. This failure could lead to an unexpected program termination. In method `crl.(*FileCache).Set`, a temporary file is created in the OS dedicated area (like /tmp for, usually, Linux/Unix). The file is written and then it is tried to move it to the dedicated `notation` cache directory thanks `os.Rename`. As specified in Go documentation, OS specific restriction may apply. When used with Linux OS, it is relying on rename syscall from the libc and as per the documentation, moving a file to a different mountpoint raises an EXDEV error, interpreted as Cross device link not permitted error. Some Linux distribution, like RedHat use a dedicated filesystem (tmpfs), mounted on a specific mountpoint (usually /tmp) for temporary files. When using such OS, revocation check based on CRL will repeatedly crash notation. As a result the signature verification process is aborted as process crashes. This issue has been addressed in version 1.3.0-rc.2 and all users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

How severe is CVE-2024-51491?

CVE-2024-51491 has a CVSS score of 3.3/10 (LOW severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.19% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2024-51491?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.