RCE in GNU Patch

CVE-2019-13638

GNU patch through 2.7.6 is vulnerable to OS shell command injection that can be exploited by opening a crafted patch file that contains an ed style diff payload with shell metacharacters. The ed editor does not need to be present on the vulnerable system. This is different from CVE-2018-1000156.

Vulnerability class: Command Injection (OS Command Injection)

EPSS: 0.045 (90.7th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-13638?
CVE-2019-13638 is a high-severity vulnerability in GNU Patch, classified under OS Command Injection. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2019-07-26.
How severe is CVE-2019-13638?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
Is CVE-2019-13638 known to be exploited?
2 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.