CVE-2020-36767 in tinyfiledialogs
Summary
by MITRE • 10/30/2023
tinyfiledialogs (aka tiny file dialogs) before 3.8.0 allows shell metacharacters in titles, messages, and other input data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/10/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-36767 affects the tinyfiledialogs library, also known as tiny file dialogs, which is a lightweight cross-platform dialog library commonly used in applications to display file selection, message, and input dialogs. This library is designed to provide simple dialog interfaces across different operating systems including windows, macos, and linux. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the library's handling of user-supplied data, particularly in the title, message, and other dialog parameters. Prior to version 3.8.0, the library failed to properly sanitize or escape shell metacharacters that could be present in dialog input fields, creating a potential security risk for applications that utilize this library.
The technical flaw manifests when applications pass user-controllable data directly into the tinyfiledialogs functions without proper sanitization. Shell metacharacters such as semicolons, ampersands, pipes, backticks, and other special characters can be interpreted by the underlying shell when the library processes these inputs. This occurs because the library does not adequately escape or quote these characters before passing them to shell commands or when constructing shell-invoking operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows an attacker to inject arbitrary shell commands through dialog interfaces that appear to be simple user input fields. This type of vulnerability is classified as a command injection flaw, which aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-94 categories, representing weaknesses where untrusted data is used to construct command strings without proper validation or sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple command injection to potentially enable a wide range of malicious activities. An attacker who can manipulate dialog titles or messages could execute arbitrary code on the target system, potentially leading to privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or system compromise. Applications using this library in environments where user input is not properly sanitized become vulnerable to exploitation, especially when these applications run with elevated privileges or access sensitive system resources. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in scenarios where applications are used in enterprise environments or security-critical systems where dialog interfaces might be exposed to untrusted users. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including execution through command and scripting interpreter, privilege escalation, and potentially initial access through user interaction. The attack surface is broad as any application that utilizes the tinyfiledialogs library for user interfaces becomes potentially vulnerable, including desktop applications, system tools, and security utilities that rely on these dialog components.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-36767 primarily focus on updating to version 3.8.0 or later of the tinyfiledialogs library where the input sanitization has been properly implemented. Organizations should conduct inventory assessments to identify all applications using this library and prioritize updates accordingly. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and sanitization at the application level can provide defense-in-depth measures, ensuring that any user-controllable data passed to dialog functions is properly escaped or filtered before being processed. Security teams should also consider monitoring for unusual command execution patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly in environments where applications utilizing this library are deployed. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and the principle of least privilege in application design, ensuring that even if a vulnerability exists in a third-party component, the overall system security posture remains robust.