CVE-2022-0943 – CVE-2022-0943 is a heap-based buffer overflow v... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-0943?

CVE-2022-0943 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). CVE-2022-0943 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Vim text editor versions prior to 8.2.4563. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening specially crafted files, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. Anyone using vulnerable Vim versions is affected.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2022-0943 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Vim text editor versions prior to 8.2.4563. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening specially crafted files, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. Anyone using vulnerable Vim versions is affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Vim text editor

Versions: All versions prior to 8.2.4563

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

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All standard installations are vulnerable; no special configuration required.

📦 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.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crash (denial of service) or limited code execution within Vim's context.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if patched or if users avoid opening untrusted files with Vim.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Vim is typically not exposed directly to the internet.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users could be targeted via malicious files in shared drives or emails.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious file). Proof-of-concept details are publicly available in disclosure reports.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 8.2.4563 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/5c68617d395f9d7b824f68475b24ce3e38d653a3

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Update Vim using your system's package manager (e.g., 'sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade vim' on Debian/Ubuntu). 2. Alternatively, compile from source using the patched version from the official Vim repository.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Vim for untrusted files

all

Configure system to use alternative text editors for opening files from untrusted sources.

Restrict Vim execution

all

Use application control policies to limit Vim usage to trusted users or directories.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Educate users to avoid opening untrusted files with Vim.
Implement strict file integrity monitoring for Vim binary and configuration files.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Run 'vim --version' and check if version is below 8.2.4563.

Check Version:

vim --version | head -1

Verify Fix Applied:

After update, run 'vim --version' to confirm version is 8.2.4563 or higher.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Vim process crashes with segmentation fault errors
Unusual file access patterns from Vim process

Network Indicators:

None - exploitation is local file-based

SIEM Query:

Process:Name='vim' AND EventID='1000' (Windows) OR 'segmentation fault' in syslog (Linux)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-0943

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-122

Published: March 14, 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/5c68617d395f9d7b824f68475b24ce3e38d653a3 Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://huntr.dev/bounties/9e4de32f-ad5f-4830-b3ae-9467b5ab90a1 Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/06/msg00014.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/C3R36VSLO4TRX72SWB6IDJOD24BQXPX2/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RAIQTUO35U5WO2NYMY47637EMCVDJRSL/
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/5c68617d395f9d7b824f68475b24ce3e38d653a3 Patch,Third Party Advisory
https://huntr.dev/bounties/9e4de32f-ad5f-4830-b3ae-9467b5ab90a1 Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/06/msg00014.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/C3R36VSLO4TRX72SWB6IDJOD24BQXPX2/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RAIQTUO35U5WO2NYMY47637EMCVDJRSL/
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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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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