CVE-2022-0554 in vim
Summary
by MITRE • 02/11/2022
Use of Out-of-range Pointer Offset in GitHub repository vim/vim prior to 8.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/29/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-0554 represents a critical memory safety issue within the popular text editor vim, specifically affecting versions prior to 8.2. This flaw manifests as a use of out-of-range pointer offset, which fundamentally compromises the integrity of memory access operations within the software's execution environment. The vulnerability resides in the vim repository maintained by GitHub, indicating that it affects the widely deployed vim text editor across multiple operating systems and platforms where the software is installed.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking during pointer arithmetic operations within vim's internal codebase. When processing certain input sequences or file operations, the application calculates pointer offsets that extend beyond the allocated memory boundaries. This out-of-range pointer offset creates conditions where subsequent memory access operations may read from or write to unauthorized memory locations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or system instability. The flaw operates at a low level within the software's memory management subsystem, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited to bypass security mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to system resources.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to users who rely on vim for text editing tasks, particularly in environments where the software processes untrusted input or handles sensitive data. Attackers could exploit this weakness by crafting malicious input files or commands that trigger the out-of-range pointer behavior during normal vim operations. The impact extends beyond simple application crashes, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running vim, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This vulnerability affects the core functionality of vim and could be leveraged in supply chain attacks or targeted penetration testing scenarios where attackers seek to exploit widely installed software components.
Organizations and individual users should immediately upgrade to vim version 8.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as no effective workarounds exist for the underlying memory safety issue. System administrators should prioritize patching this vulnerability across all systems where vim is installed, particularly in server environments or development workstations handling sensitive data. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of array indices and pointer offsets, and may map to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and code execution through memory corruption vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments should include verification of vim installations to ensure compliance with security baselines and prevent exploitation of this and similar memory safety vulnerabilities that continue to plague widely used open source software components.