CVE-2019-18183

pacman before 5.2 is vulnerable to arbitrary command injection in lib/libalpm/sync.c in the apply_deltas() function

published February 24, 2020

CVSS
—
EPSS
4%
Percentile
89.6
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

⚠️ A crafty command injection can sneak in when using unsigned databases with pacman versions before 5.2! This tiny oversight could lead to big trouble if you enable that non-default delta feature. 🔥 Think of it like a restaurant serving meals without checking for allergens — if a user orders a dish that’s been tampered with, they could end up with a nasty surprise. Similarly, an attacker can exploit this vulnerability by feeding pacman a rogue database and delta file, enabling unwanted commands to execute! Imagine someone could sneak in and run arbitrary commands on your system — that's the risk here! With user intervention required to trigger the exploit, it's a bit like a waiter accidentally accepting a dangerous order. But when it happens, the consequences could be absolutely devastating.

Put simply

Think of it like a restaurant serving meals without checking for allergens — if a user orders a dish that’s been tampered with, they could end up with a nasty surprise. Similarly, an attacker can exploit this vulnerability by feeding pacman a rogue database and delta file, enabling unwanted commands to execute! This vulnerability allows arbitrary command injection in the apply_deltas() function of pacman's libalpm library due to the mishandling of unsigned databases. To exploit it, the non-default delta feature must be enabled, and a crafted database and delta file from an attacker must be retrieved.

What to do

Imagine someone could sneak in and run arbitrary commands on your system — that's the risk here! With user intervention required to trigger the exploit, it's a bit like a waiter accidentally accepting a dangerous order. But when it happens, the consequences could be absolutely devastating. To protect yourself, ensure you're using pacman version 5.2 or later. Avoid enabling the non-default delta feature unless necessary, and avoid using unsigned databases whenever possible. Regularly audit your system for any unauthorized changes! You've got this! Follow these steps and you'll have your systems secure in no time. 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS
Not scored
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.03672 · 89.6th percentile
Published
2020-02-24T14:36Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 24 FEB 14:36Z
    pacman before 5.2 is vulnerable to arbitrary command injection in lib/libalpm/sync.c in the apply_deltas() function
    cvelistv5