Vulnerability identifier: #VU22198

Vulnerability 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-2019-18183

CWE-ID: CWE-78

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
pacman
Client/Desktop applications / Software for system administration

Vendor: Arch Linux

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 the apply_deltas() function in lib/libalpm/sync.c file in pacman. A remote attacker can trick the victim to enable a non-default delta feature, retrieve an attacker-controlled crafted database and package and execute arbitrary OS commands on the system with privileges of the current user.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

pacman: 5.0.0 - 5.1.3

---

External links
http://security.archlinux.org/advisory/ASA-201910-13
http://security.archlinux.org/CVE-2019-18183

---

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.