overflow in ex address parsing in vim
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · Low
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 5 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
Vim is an open source command line text editor. When parsing relative ex addresses one may unintentionally cause an overflow. Ironically this happens in the existing overflow check, because the line number becomes negative and LONG_MAX - lnum will cause the overflow. Impact is low, user interaction is required and a crash may not even happen in all situations. This issue has been addressed in commit `060623e` which has been included in release version 9.0.2110. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vim | vim | before 9.0.2110 | 9.0.2110 | Patch available | CNA |
- vim Vendorvim Affected before 9.0.2110 Fixed in 9.0.2110 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:vim:vim:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 9.0.2110 | Vulnerable | vim |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:37:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 37 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:38:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 38 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:39:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 39 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
- cpe:2.3:a:vim:vim:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 9.0.2110 Vulnerable ·vim
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:37:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 37 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:38:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 38 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:39:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 39 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
Remediation
- Fix · CNA vim (vim) Fixed in 9.0.2110
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) | Affected | — |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-48235
- 2026-11-07 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Advisory 5
- https://github.com/vim/vim/security/advisories/GHSA-6g74-hr6q-pr8g
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/M3VQF7CL3V6FGSEW37WNDFBRRILR65AK/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/VNRNYLWXZOGTYWE5HMFNQ5FVE3HBUHF6/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/4UJAK2W5S7G75ETDAEM3BDUCVSXCEGRD/
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231227-0007/
More Vim vulnerabilities
- TI-2022-03248 Heap-based Buffer Overflow in vim/vim CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2024-15103 Vim before 9.0.2142 has a stack-based buffer overflow because did_set_langmap in map.c… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2023-05093 Use After Free in vim/vim CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2023-04407 Heap-based Buffer Overflow in vim/vim CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2023-04379 Heap-based Buffer Overflow in vim/vim CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2023-04378 Use After Free in vim/vim CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
Sources
- CVE-2023-48235 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-48235 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- CVE-2023-48235 · 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