CVE-2022-47583 in Mintty
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
Terminal character injection in Mintty before 3.6.3 allows code execution via unescaped output to the terminal.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-47583 represents a critical terminal character injection flaw affecting Mintty versions prior to 3.6.3. This vulnerability exists within the terminal emulator component that is widely used in Unix-like environments and Windows systems, particularly in conjunction with Cygwin and other POSIX compatibility layers. The issue stems from inadequate sanitization of output data that is sent to the terminal, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject terminal control sequences that can manipulate the terminal environment. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of terminal emulation security flaws that can have severe operational consequences when exploited in interactive sessions or automated processes. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows attackers to execute arbitrary code within the context of the terminal session, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
The technical flaw manifests when Mintty receives output data that contains unescaped terminal control characters or escape sequences that are not properly sanitized before being rendered to the terminal. When these sequences are processed by the terminal emulator, they can trigger unintended behavior that allows for command injection or manipulation of the terminal state. The vulnerability specifically affects how the terminal handles escape sequences and control characters that are typically used for formatting, cursor positioning, color changes, and other terminal operations. Attackers can craft malicious output that, when displayed in the terminal, executes commands or modifies the terminal environment in ways that were not intended by the application. This behavior creates a code execution vector that operates at the terminal level, bypassing many traditional application-level security controls and operating system protections.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-47583 extends beyond simple command execution to encompass a broad range of potential security breaches. When exploited, this vulnerability can enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to systems through terminal sessions, particularly in environments where users interact with command-line tools that produce output containing unescaped sequences. The vulnerability is especially dangerous in automated environments or when users run untrusted code that produces output to terminals, as it can facilitate privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or complete system compromise. The attack surface is broad since many applications that interact with terminal emulators can potentially be exploited, including shell scripts, system administration tools, and network utilities that display status information or diagnostic output to users. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-74, which describes improper neutralization of special elements in output data, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.004 for executing malicious code through command and script interpreters.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-47583 primarily focus on updating to Mintty version 3.6.3 or later, which includes proper sanitization of output data and escape sequence handling. Organizations should also implement strict input validation for all terminal output, particularly in applications that process data from untrusted sources or user inputs that may contain terminal control sequences. Network administrators should consider implementing terminal session monitoring to detect anomalous escape sequence patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, security teams should review and update their terminal security policies to ensure that users are not running untrusted code that could potentially exploit this vulnerability. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of terminal applications to ensure that the fix does not introduce compatibility issues with existing workflows or legitimate terminal control sequences that are required for normal operation. Regular security assessments of terminal environments should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other terminal emulators or related components within the system infrastructure.