Advisory Published

USN-5147-1: Vim vulnerabilities

First published: Mon Nov 15 2021(Updated: )

It was discovered that Vim incorrectly handled permissions on the .swp file. A local attacker could possibly use this issue to obtain sensitive information. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 ESM. (CVE-2017-17087) It was discovered that Vim incorrectly handled restricted mode. A local attacker could possibly use this issue to bypass restricted mode and execute arbitrary commands. Note: This update only makes executing shell commands more difficult. Restricted mode should not be considered a complete security measure. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 ESM. (CVE-2019-20807) Brian Carpenter discovered that vim incorrectly handled memory when opening certain files. If a user was tricked into opening a specially crafted file, a remote attacker could crash the application, leading to a denial of service, or possible execute arbitrary code with user privileges. This issue only affected Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Ubuntu 21.04 and Ubuntu 21.10. (CVE-2021-3872) It was discovered that vim incorrectly handled memory when opening certain files. If a user was tricked into opening a specially crafted file, a remote attacker could crash the application, leading to a denial of service, or possible execute arbitrary code with user privileges. (CVE-2021-3903) It was discovered that vim incorrectly handled memory when opening certain files. If a user was tricked into opening a specially crafted file, a remote attacker could crash the application, leading to a denial of service, or possible execute arbitrary code with user privileges. (CVE-2021-3927) It was discovered that vim incorrectly handled memory when opening certain files. If a user was tricked into opening a specially crafted file, a remote attacker could crash the application, leading to a denial of service, or possible execute arbitrary code with user privileges. (CVE-2021-3928)

Affected SoftwareAffected VersionHow to fix
All of
ubuntu/vim<2:8.2.2434-3ubuntu3.1
2:8.2.2434-3ubuntu3.1
Ubuntu Ubuntu=21.10
All of
ubuntu/vim<2:8.2.2434-1ubuntu1.2
2:8.2.2434-1ubuntu1.2
Ubuntu Ubuntu=21.04
All of
ubuntu/vim<2:8.1.2269-1ubuntu5.4
2:8.1.2269-1ubuntu5.4
Ubuntu Ubuntu=20.04
All of
ubuntu/vim<2:8.0.1453-1ubuntu1.7
2:8.0.1453-1ubuntu1.7
Ubuntu Ubuntu=18.04
All of
ubuntu/vim<2:7.4.1689-3ubuntu1.5+esm3
2:7.4.1689-3ubuntu1.5+esm3
Ubuntu Ubuntu=16.04
All of
ubuntu/vim<2:7.4.052-1ubuntu3.1+esm4
2:7.4.052-1ubuntu3.1+esm4
Ubuntu Ubuntu=14.04

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Reference Links

Child vulnerabilities

(Contains the following vulnerabilities)

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the vulnerability ID for this security advisory?

    The vulnerability ID for this security advisory is USN-5147-1.

  • What software versions are affected by this vulnerability?

    This vulnerability affects Vim versions 2:8.2.2434-3ubuntu3.1, 2:8.2.2434-1ubuntu1.2, 2:8.1.2269-1ubuntu5.4, 2:8.0.1453-1ubuntu1.7, 2:7.4.1689-3ubuntu1.5+esm3, and 2:7.4.052-1ubuntu3.1+esm4.

  • What is the severity of this vulnerability?

    The severity of this vulnerability is not specified in the security advisory.

  • How can an attacker exploit this vulnerability?

    An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by using incorrect permissions on the .swp file and by exploiting restricted mode.

  • How can I fix this vulnerability?

    To fix this vulnerability, update Vim to the recommended versions provided in the security advisory.

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