CVE-2025-50360
📋 TL;DR
A heap buffer overflow vulnerability in Pepper language compiler allows arbitrary code execution or denial of service when processing malicious .pr source files. This affects users who compile or execute untrusted Pepper source code. The vulnerability is in the compiler itself, not in compiled programs.
💻 Affected Systems
- Pepper language compiler
📦 What is this software?
Pepper by Dannyvankooten
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full remote code execution with the privileges of the Pepper compiler process, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
Likely Case
Denial of service through application crashes when processing specially crafted source files.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if only trusted source files are compiled and compiler runs with minimal privileges.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires feeding malicious source code to the compiler. Public PoC available in GitHub repository.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/dannyvankooten/pepper-lang
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Monitor GitHub repository for updates. 2. Check if newer commits fix the vulnerability. 3. Rebuild from source if fix available.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict compiler access
linuxLimit who can run the Pepper compiler and what source files it processes
chmod 750 /path/to/pepper-compiler
setfacl -m u:trusteduser:rx /path/to/pepper-compiler
Run compiler with reduced privileges
linuxExecute compiler with minimal user privileges using sudo or similar
sudo -u nobody pepper-compiler file.pr
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Discontinue use of Pepper compiler until fix available
- Only compile trusted source files from verified sources
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Pepper compiler version: pepper --version or examine commit hash if built from sourceCheck Version:
pepper --version 2>&1 | head -1Verify Fix Applied:
Test with PoC from GitHub repository to confirm crash/exploit no longer works📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Segmentation fault crashes of pepper compiler
- Abnormal memory usage patterns in compiler process
Network Indicators:
- Unusual network connections originating from compiler process
SIEM Query:
process_name:"pepper" AND (event_type:"crash" OR memory_usage:>threshold)