#VU71470 OS Command Injection in ctags - CVE-2022-4515

Vulnerability identifier: #VU71470

Vulnerability risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 6.1 [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: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
ctags
Other software / Other software solutions

Vendor: 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.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

ctags: 5.0 - 5.8

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External links
https://sourceforge.net/p/ctags/code/HEAD/tree/tags/ctags-5.8/sort.c#l56
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/12/msg00040.html

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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.