CVE-2022-0729 – CVE-2022-0729 is a use-after-free vulnerability... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-0729?

CVE-2022-0729 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). CVE-2022-0729 is a use-after-free vulnerability in Vim's memory handling that allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code by tricking a user into opening a specially crafted file. This affects all users running vulnerable versions of Vim who open untrusted files. The vulnerability stems from improper pointer offset validation.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2022-0729 is a use-after-free vulnerability in Vim's memory handling that allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code by tricking a user into opening a specially crafted file. This affects all users running vulnerable versions of Vim who open untrusted files. The vulnerability stems from improper pointer offset validation.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Vim

Versions: All versions prior to 8.2.4440

Operating Systems: Linux, Unix-like systems, Windows, macOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default installations of Vim are vulnerable if the version is below 8.2.4440. This includes distributions that package Vim (e.g., Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat).

📦 What is this software?

Macos by Apple

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Vim by Vim

View all CVEs affecting Vim →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution with the privileges of the Vim user, potentially leading to full system compromise if the user has elevated privileges.

🟠

Likely Case

Local privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file, potentially leading to data theft or further lateral movement.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if users only open trusted files and Vim runs with restricted privileges (e.g., in a sandbox or as a non-privileged user).

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Vim is typically not an internet-facing service; exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious file.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users could be targeted via phishing or shared malicious files, but exploitation requires user interaction.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious file). Proof-of-concept code is publicly available in the disclosure references.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 8.2.4440

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/6456fae9ba8e72c74b2c0c499eaf09974604ff30

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Update Vim to version 8.2.4440 or later. 2. On Linux, use your package manager: 'sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade vim' (Debian/Ubuntu) or 'sudo yum update vim' (RHEL/CentOS). 3. On Windows/macOS, download the latest version from the official Vim website.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict file access

all

Limit Vim to opening only trusted files and avoid opening files from untrusted sources.

Use alternative editors

all

Temporarily use a non-vulnerable text editor (e.g., nano, emacs) until Vim is patched.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Run Vim with reduced privileges (e.g., as a non-root user) to limit impact if exploited.
Implement application whitelisting to block execution of malicious payloads from Vim.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Run 'vim --version' and check if the version is below 8.2.4440.

Check Version:

vim --version | head -1

Verify Fix Applied:

After updating, run 'vim --version' and confirm the version is 8.2.4440 or higher.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual process spawns from Vim (e.g., shell commands executed unexpectedly)
Crash logs or core dumps from Vim processes

Network Indicators:

Outbound connections initiated by Vim process to suspicious IPs (uncommon for a text editor)

SIEM Query:

process_name:vim AND (process_command_line:*sh* OR destination_ip != '')

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-0729

CVSS v3 Score: 8.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-823

Published: February 23, 2022

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/Oct/28 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/Oct/41 Mailing List,Release Notes,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/6456fae9ba8e72c74b2c0c499eaf09974604ff30 Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://huntr.dev/bounties/f3f3d992-7bd6-4ee5-a502-ae0e5f8016ea Exploit,Issue Tracking,Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/03/msg00018.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/11/msg00009.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7ZLEHVP4LNAGER4ZDGUDS5V5YVQD6INF/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HBUYQBZ6GWAWJRWP7AODJ4KHW5BCKDVP/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-32 Third Party Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213488 Release Notes,Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/Oct/28 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/Oct/41 Mailing List,Release Notes,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/6456fae9ba8e72c74b2c0c499eaf09974604ff30 Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://huntr.dev/bounties/f3f3d992-7bd6-4ee5-a502-ae0e5f8016ea Exploit,Issue Tracking,Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/03/msg00018.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/11/msg00009.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7ZLEHVP4LNAGER4ZDGUDS5V5YVQD6INF/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HBUYQBZ6GWAWJRWP7AODJ4KHW5BCKDVP/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-32 Third Party Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213488 Release Notes,Third Party Advisory

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