RCE in Exuberant Ctags Project

CVE-2022-4515

A flaw was found in Exuberant Ctags in the way it handles the "-o" option. This option specifies the tag filename. A crafted tag filename specified in the command line or in the configuration file results in arbitrary command execution because the externalSortTags() in sort.c calls the system(3) function in an unsafe way.

Vulnerability class: Command Injection (OS Command Injection)

EPSS: 0.006 (44.2th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/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-2022-4515?
CVE-2022-4515 is a high-severity vulnerability in Exuberant Ctags Project, classified under OS Command Injection. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2022-12-20.
How severe is CVE-2022-4515?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
Is CVE-2022-4515 known to be exploited?
5 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.