[ GLSA 200809-12 ] Newsbeuter: User-assisted execution of arbitrary code

[GLSA]

Gentoo Linux Security Advisory

Title: Newsbeuter: User-assisted execution of arbitrary code (GLSA 200809-12)
Severity: normal
Exploitable: remote
Date: September 22, 2008
Bug(s): #236506
ID: 200809-12

Synopsis

Insufficient input validation in newsbeuter may allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands.

Background

Newsbeuter is a RSS/Atom feed reader for the text console.

Affected Packages

Package: net-news/newsbeuter
Vulnerable: < 1.2
Unaffected: >= 1.2
Architectures: All supported architectures


Description

J.H.M. Dassen reported that the open-in-browser command does not properly escape shell metacharacters in the URL before passing it to system().

Impact

A remote attacker could entice a user to open a feed with specially crafted URLs, possibly resulting in the remote execution of arbitrary shell commands with the privileges of the user running the application.

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time.

Resolution

All Newsbeuter users should upgrade to the latest version: