CVE-2023-4734
📋 TL;DR
An integer overflow vulnerability in Vim before version 9.0.1846 allows attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code by opening specially crafted files. This affects all users running vulnerable Vim versions on any platform.
💻 Affected Systems
- Vim
📦 What is this software?
Macos by Apple
macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...
Learn more about Macos →Vim by Vim
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise when opening malicious files
Likely Case
Application crash (denial of service) when processing malformed input
If Mitigated
Limited to application crash if exploit fails or is detected
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file)
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 9.0.1846 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/4c6fe2e2ea62469642ed1d80b16d39e616b25cf5
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Vim using your package manager (apt/yum/brew) 2. Or compile from source using the patched version 3. For macOS, apply Apple security update
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file opening
allLimit Vim to opening only trusted files
Use alternative editor
allTemporarily use a different text editor until patched
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict Vim usage to trusted users only
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent Vim execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Run 'vim --version' and check if version is below 9.0.1846Check Version:
vim --version | head -1Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is 9.0.1846 or higher with 'vim --version'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Vim crash logs
- Segmentation fault errors in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual file transfers to systems running Vim
SIEM Query:
process_name:vim AND (event_type:crash OR exit_code:139)🔗 References
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2023/Oct/24
- https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/4c6fe2e2ea62469642ed1d80b16d39e616b25cf5
- https://huntr.dev/bounties/688e4382-d2b6-439a-a54e-484780f82217
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213984
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2023/Oct/24
- https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/4c6fe2e2ea62469642ed1d80b16d39e616b25cf5
- https://huntr.dev/bounties/688e4382-d2b6-439a-a54e-484780f82217
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213984
