CVE-2026-46483
Description
A flaw was found in Vim. When decompressing .tgz archives, the Vimuntar function builds shell commands using shellescape() without the {special} flag. This allows a specially crafted archive filename to trigger Vim cmdline-special expansion and execute arbitrary commands in the context of the current user.
Statement
To exploit this issue, an attacker needs to convince a user to decompress a .tgz archive with a specially crafted filename. Additionally, possible arbitrary command execution is restricted to the context of the user running Vim. These conditions limit the exposure of this vulnerability and the potential of a full system compromise. Due to these reasons, this flaw has been rated with a moderate severity.
Mitigation
To mitigate this vulnerability, do not decompress untrusted .tgz archives with the Vimuntar command. Use 'tar -x -z -f' directly, instead.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7 | 7 | 3.6 |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | Local |
| Attack Complexity | High | High | High |
| Privileges Required | None | None | None |
| User Interaction | Required | Required | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | High | Low |
| Integrity Impact | High | High | Low |
| Availability Impact | High | High | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Integrity,Availability,Non-Repudiation
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; Read Files or Directories; Modify Files or Directories; Read Application Data; Modify Application Data; Hide Activities
Attackers could execute unauthorized operating system commands, which could then be used to disable the product, or read and modify data for which the attacker does not have permissions to access directly. Since the targeted application is directly executing the commands instead of the attacker, any malicious activities may appear to come from the application or the application's owner.
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