Description
Syntastic (aka vim-syntastic) through 3.9.0 does not properly handle searches for configuration files (it searches the current directory up to potentially the root). This improper handling might be exploited for arbitrary code execution via a malicious gcc plugin, if an attacker has write access to a directory that is a parent of the base directory of the project being checked. NOTE: exploitation is more difficult after 3.8.0 because filename prediction may be needed.
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-syntastic | 3.9.0-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | vim-syntastic | 3.9.0-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | vim-syntastic | 3.9.0-1 | — |
| Debian 9 | vim-syntastic | 3.7.0-1+deb9u2 | DSA-4261-1 |
| Debian 8 | vim-syntastic | 3.5.0-1+deb8u1 | DLA-1444-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | vim-syntastic | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | vim-syntastic | 3.7.0-1+deb9u2build0.16.04.1 | — |
Advisories 2
- DSA-4261-1 vim-syntastic - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-1444-1 vim-syntastic - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026