#VU83442 Use-after-free in Vim - CVE-2023-48706

Vulnerability identifier: #VU83442

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 1.2 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2023-48706

CWE-ID: CWE-416

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

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

Vendor: Vim.org

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The vulnerability exists due to a use-after-free error within the ex_substitute() function in src/charset.c when executing the ":s" command. A remote attacker can trick the victim to open a specially crafted file, trigger a use-after-free error and crash the application.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Vim: before 9.0.2121, 9.0.2121

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External links
http://github.com/vim/vim/security/advisories/GHSA-c8qm-x72m-q53q
http://github.com/vim/vim/commit/26c11c56888d01e298cd8044caf8

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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.