In GNU Less before 609, crafted data can result in "less -R" not filtering ANSI escape sequences sent to the terminal.
Priority MEDIUM 42Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 fixed, 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In GNU Less before 609, crafted data can result in "less -R" not filtering ANSI escape sequences sent to the terminal.
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.01412 72nd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Red Hat: 1 advisoryRed Hat: 1 fixed, 1 without a fix
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:gnu:less:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 566 to before 609 | Vulnerable | GNU |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:37:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 37 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
- cpe:2.3:a:gnu:less:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 566 to before 609 Vulnerable ·GNU
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:37:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 37 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
Remediation
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2023:3725 Released 2023-06-21 · Red Hat rating Moderateless security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) less-590-2.el9_2
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:3725 |
Not affected: 11 products
- OpenShift Service Mesh 2.1
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Fuse 7
- Red Hat JBoss Data Grid 7
- Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 7
- Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform Expansion Pack
- Red Hat OpenShift distributed tracing 2
- Red Hat Openshift Container Storage 4
- Red Hat Openshift Data Foundation 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2022-46663
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-5xw7-xf7p-gm82
References
Patch 2
Advisory 3
Sources
- CVE-2022-46663 · CVE Program
- CVE-2022-46663 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-5xw7-xf7p-gm82 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2022-46663 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences