Denial of service in Vim

1) Heap-based buffer overflow

EUVDB-ID: #VU80474

Risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 3.8 [CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2023-4781

CWE-ID: CWE-122 - Heap-based Buffer Overflow

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to crash the application.

The vulnerability exists due to a boundary error within the vim_regsub_both() function. A remote attacker can trick the victim to open a specially crafted file, trigger a heap-based buffer overflow and crash the application.

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Vim: 9.0.0000 - 9.0.1872

External links

http://github.com/vim/vim/releases/tag/v9.0.1873
http://huntr.dev/bounties/c867eb0a-aa8b-4946-a621-510350673883
http://github.com/vim/vim/commit/f6d28fe2c95c678cc3202cc5dc825a3fcc709e93
http://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/09/msg00035.html

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

How the attacker can exploit this vulnerability?

The attacker would have to trick the victim to visit a specially crafted website or open a file.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.