Appsecure logo

CVE-2022-2288: High Vulnerability in Fedora Vim

A high-severity out-of-bounds write vulnerability affects Vim versions prior to 9.0. Organizations using affected versions must prioritize remediation to avoid potential exploitation.

HIGHCVSS 7.8 · Published July 3, 2022

Not a customer? See how AppSecure simulates real world attacks to protect your infrastructure.

Speak to Experts

CVE-2022-2288 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in Vim, specifically impacting versions prior to 9.0. This vulnerability allows for an out-of-bounds write, which can lead to serious security implications. The CVSS score for this vulnerability is 7.8, indicating a high level of risk for organizations that utilize affected versions of Vim. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-787, highlighting the nature of the flaw.

Risk to organizations includes the possibility of unauthorized access and manipulation of sensitive information, as the out-of-bounds write can lead to data corruption or application crashes. Users are required to interact with the vulnerable functionality, which emphasizes the need for vigilance when managing versions of Vim. Organizations should prioritize patching immediately to mitigate these risks.

As it stands, there are no confirmed public exploits available for this vulnerability, but the potential for exploitation remains a significant concern. Organizations using Vim should assess their deployment and ensure they are running patched versions to minimize exposure.

Given the severity of the issue and the potential impact on operations, organizations are encouraged to address this vulnerability in their immediate patch cycle. Ensuring that all systems are updated will help maintain security integrity and prevent potential breaches.

Vulnerability Details

The vulnerability, classified as an out-of-bounds write, was identified in the GitHub repository for Vim. The official description states: 'Out-of-bounds Write in GitHub repository vim/vim prior to 9.0.' The CVSS version 3.1 score of 7.8 indicates a high severity, with impacts across confidentiality, integrity, and availability all rated as high.

The vulnerability affects all versions of Vim prior to 9.0, and the impact is particularly notable for users running on local systems. The attack complexity is low, and no privileges are required for exploitation, making it imperative for organizations to address this vulnerability without delay.

Technical Analysis

The root cause of CVE-2022-2288 is an out-of-bounds write, which occurs when the application writes data outside the bounds of allocated memory. This can lead to memory corruption, resulting in potential exploitation. The attack vector is local, meaning that an attacker must have access to the system running the vulnerable version of Vim.

The attack complexity is rated as low, as no special conditions are required for exploitation. Additionally, the vulnerability requires user interaction, which may involve the targeted user executing specific commands that trigger the flawed functionality. The confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts are all rated high, further emphasizing the critical nature of this vulnerability.

Risk & Impact Analysis

The potential real-world risk associated with CVE-2022-2288 is significant. Organizations utilizing Vim in their development or operational environments face the danger of data integrity issues or unauthorized access to sensitive information. The blast radius of this vulnerability can extend to all users of affected versions, increasing the urgency for remediation.

Given the high CVSS score and the potential for exploitation, organizations should prioritize patching immediately. The findings from the EPSS score indicate a low probability of exploitation in the wild (0.004), but this should not diminish the urgency to remediate. Organizations are advised to schedule remediation as soon as possible to ensure their systems are secure.

Exploitation Status

Signal

Status

Known Exploit

No

Public PoC

No

Actively Exploited

No

Ransomware Use

No

Affected Versions

Affected versions include all versions of Vim prior to 9.0.0025. Additionally, Fedora versions 35 and 36 are also impacted. Organizations should ensure they upgrade to the latest available patches.

Mitigation & Remediation

To remediate this vulnerability, organizations should update Vim to version 9.0.0025 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, consider implementing configuration hardening strategies to limit exposure. Regular monitoring for unusual behavior and thorough testing of applications utilizing Vim can also assist in identifying potential issues.

Organizations can validate the effectiveness of their remediation efforts through penetration testing to ensure similar weaknesses are not present.

Detection Guidance

To detect potential exploitation of this vulnerability, organizations should monitor logs for unusual access patterns and any unauthorized commands executed through Vim. Additionally, behavioral anomalies in system performance may indicate exploitation attempts, and any unexpected application crashes should be investigated.

AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight

CVE-2022-2288 highlights the ongoing challenges organizations face in maintaining secure software environments. The trend towards local vulnerabilities emphasizes the need for rigorous security practices in development and deployment.

Security teams should prioritize continuous security assessments, such as regular audits and vulnerability scanning, to identify and remediate weaknesses before they can be exploited. For further reading on effective security practices, organizations can refer to the following resources:

For comprehensive guidance on managing vulnerabilities, organizations can explore vulnerability management programs and the importance of penetration testing methodologies to effectively safeguard critical systems.

Moreover, understanding the landscape of vulnerabilities and their implications can be further explored through AI security services which provide insights into evolving threat vectors.

Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.

Latest CVEs. Recently published vulnerabilities from the NVD database.

View all vulnerabilities
CVE IDSeverity
CVE-2025-65418HIGH
CVE-2025-65417MEDIUM
CVE-2025-65416MEDIUM
CVE-2025-65415MEDIUM
CVE-2025-61314HIGH

Protect Your Business with Hacker-Focused Approach.