OS Command Injection in ctags - CVE-2022-4515
Published: January 24, 2023
Vulnerability identifier: #VU71470
CSH Severity: High
CVSSv4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Amber
CVE-ID: CVE-2022-4515
CWE-ID: CWE-78
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerable software:
ctags
ctags
Software vendor:
universal-ctags
universal-ctags
Description
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary shell commands on the target system.
The vulnerability exists due to improper input validation when handling the tag filename passed via the "-o" option within the externalSortTags() function in sort.c. A remote attacker can trick the victim to pass a specially crafted filename or use a malicious configuration file and execute arbitrary OS commands on the target system.
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may result in complete compromise of vulnerable system.
Remediation
Install updates from vendor's website.