OS command injection in less

1) OS Command Injection

EUVDB-ID: #VU86885

Risk: Medium

CVSSv3.1: 6.5 [CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2022-48624

CWE-ID: CWE-78 - Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary shell commands on the target system.

The vulnerability exists due to improper input validation within the close_altfile() function in filename.c. A remote attacker can trick the victim into using a specially crafted argument for the less command and execute arbitrary OS commands on the target system.

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may result in complete compromise of vulnerable system.

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

less: 243 - 605

External links

http://github.com/gwsw/less/commit/c6ac6de49698be84d264a0c4c0c40bb870b10144
http://greenwoodsoftware.com/less/
http://github.com/gwsw/less/compare/v605...v606

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

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

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

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