Security Bulletin
Summary
There is a security vulnerability that affects Red Hat Linux used by IBM WebSphere Application Server in the IBM Cloud.
Vim before 8.1.1365 and Neovim before 0.3.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands via the :source! command in a modeline, as demonstrated by execute in Vim, and assert_fails or nvim_input in Neovim.
Vulnerability Details
Find out more about CVE-2019-12735 from the MITRE CVE dictionary dictionary and NIST NVD.
Relevant CVE Information:
CVEID: CVE-2019-12735
DESCRIPTION: Vim and and Neovim could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the system, caused by improper input validation by the :source! command in a modeline. By sending a specially-crafted request, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary commands on the system.
CVSS Base Score: 9.8
CVSS Temporal Score: See https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/162255 for the current score
CVSS Environmental Score*: Undefined
CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
Affected Products and Versions
These vulnerabilities affect the following versions and releases of IBM WebSphere Application Server in IBM Cloud:
- Liberty
- Version 9.0
- Version 8.5
Remediation/Fixes
To mitigate the vulnerability on an existing service instance issue the following command as root:
- echo "set nomodeline" >> /etc/vimrc
Alternatively, delete the vulnerable service instance and create a new instance.
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References
Change History
31 July 2019 - Original document published
*The CVSS Environment Score is customer environment specific and will ultimately impact the Overall CVSS Score. Customers can evaluate the impact of this vulnerability in their environments by accessing the links in the Reference section of this Security Bulletin.
Disclaimer
Review the IBM security bulletin disclaimer and definitions regarding your responsibilities for assessing potential impact of security vulnerabilities to your environment.
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Document Information
Modified date:
31 July 2019
UID
ibm10888425