Description
vim 6.0 and 6.1, and possibly other versions, allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands using the libcall feature in modelines, which are not sandboxed but may be executed when vim is used to edit a malicious file, as demonstrated using mutt.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | vim | 6.1.263-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | vim | 6.1.263-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | vim | 6.1.263-1 | — |
References
- 6384 vdb-entry
- RHSA-2002:302 vendor-advisory
- http://www.guninski.com/vim1.html
- 20021213 Some vim problems, yet still vim much better than windows mailing-list
- RHSA-2002:297 vendor-advisory
- 55700 vendor-advisory
- CLA-2004:812 vendor-advisory
- MDKSA-2003:012 vendor-advisory
- 20040331 OpenLinux: vim arbitrary commands execution through modelines mailing-list
- vim-modeline-command-execution(10835) vdb-entry