Vulnerability identifier: #VU37560

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv3.1: 5.9 [CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2018-6791

CWE-ID: CWE-78

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
plasma-workspace
Client/Desktop applications / Other client software

Vendor: KDE.org

Description

The vulnerability allows a local non-authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code.

An issue was discovered in soliduiserver/deviceserviceaction.cpp in KDE Plasma Workspace before 5.12.0. When a vfat thumbdrive that contains `` or $() in its volume label is plugged in and mounted through the device notifier, it's interpreted as a shell command, leading to a possibility of arbitrary command execution. An example of an offending volume label is "$(touch b)" -- this will create a file called b in the home folder.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

plasma-workspace: 5.0.0 - 5.11.95

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External links
http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=389815
http://cgit.kde.org/plasma-workspace.git/commit/?id=9db872df82c258315c6ebad800af59e81ffb9212
http://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4116

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. The attacker should have physical access to the system in order to successfully exploit this vulnerability.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

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