#VU88533 OS Command Injection in less - CVE-2024-32487

Vulnerability identifier: #VU88533

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 4 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2024-32487

CWE-ID: CWE-78

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

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

Vendor: GNU

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 newline characters in the filename in filename.c. A remote attacker can trick the victim to pass a specially crafted filename to the affected command and execute arbitrary OS commands on the system.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

less: 243 - 653

---

External links
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/04/13/2
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/04/12/5
https://github.com/gwsw/less/commit/007521ac3c95bc76e3d59c6dbfe75d06c8075c33

---

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.