[ GLSA 200809-15 ] GNU ed: User-assisted execution of arbitrary code

[GLSA]

Gentoo Linux Security Advisory

Title: GNU ed: User-assisted execution of arbitrary code (GLSA 200809-15)
Severity: normal
Exploitable: remote
Date: September 23, 2008
Bug(s): #236521
ID: 200809-15

Synopsis

A buffer overflow vulnerability in ed may allow for the remote execution of arbitrary code.

Background

GNU ed is a basic line editor. red is a restricted version of ed that does not allow shell command execution.

Affected Packages

Package: sys-apps/ed
Vulnerable: < 1.0
Unaffected: >= 1.0
Architectures: All supported architectures


Description

Alfredo Ortega from Core Security Technologies reported a heap-based buffer overflow in the strip_escapes() function when processing overly long filenames.

Impact

A remote attacker could entice a user to process specially crafted commands with ed or red, possibly resulting in the execution of arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the application.

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time.

Resolution

All GNU ed users should upgrade to the latest version: