CVE-2019-10780 : What You Need to Know

BibTeX-ruby before version 5.1.0 is susceptible to shell command injection due to unsanitized user input passed to the Ruby Kernel.open method.

Understanding CVE-2019-10780

This CVE involves a command injection vulnerability in BibTeX-ruby versions prior to 5.1.0.

What is CVE-2019-10780?

Shell command injection is possible in BibTeX-ruby versions before 5.1.0 when user input is not properly sanitized and is directly passed to the internal Ruby Kernel.open method via BibTeX.open.

The Impact of CVE-2019-10780

The vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands, potentially leading to unauthorized access or data manipulation.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-10780

BibTeX-ruby's vulnerability details and affected systems.

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises from unsanitized user input being directly passed to the built-in Ruby Kernel.open method through BibTeX.open, enabling command injection.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: BibTeX-ruby
Vendor: n/a
Versions Affected: All versions prior to version 5.1.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious shell commands through user input, which are then executed by the Ruby Kernel.open method.

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of CVE-2019-10780.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update BibTeX-ruby to version 5.1.0 or later to eliminate the vulnerability.
Implement input validation and sanitization to prevent unauthorized command execution.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly audit and review code for potential security vulnerabilities.
Educate developers on secure coding practices to avoid similar issues in the future.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security updates and patches released by BibTeX-ruby to address known vulnerabilities.