Learn about CVE-2023-6185 affecting LibreOffice versions 7.5.9 and 7.6.3, enabling arbitrary GStreamer plugin execution. Impact, mitigation, and prevention steps outlined.
This CVE record was published by Document Fdn. on December 11, 2023. It involves an Improper Input Validation vulnerability in GStreamer integration of The Document Foundation LibreOffice, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary GStreamer plugins.
Understanding CVE-2023-6185
This vulnerability in LibreOffice affects versions 7.5.9 and below, as well as versions 7.6.3 and below. It was discovered and reported by Reginaldo Silva of ubercomp.com.
What is CVE-2023-6185?
The CVE-2023-6185 vulnerability in LibreOffice arises from insufficiently escaped filenames of embedded videos when passed to GStreamer. This flaw enables an attacker to run arbitrary GStreamer plugins, depending on the plugins installed on the target system.
The Impact of CVE-2023-6185
The impact of this vulnerability is deemed as high severity. Attackers with low privileges could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary GStreamer plugins, potentially leading to a compromise of system integrity and availability, especially in scenarios where user interaction is required.
Technical Details of CVE-2023-6185
This vulnerability has a base score of 8.3, categorizing it as a high severity issue. The CVSS v3.1 score highlights that the attack complexity is low, while the attack vector is via an adjacent network. The integrity and availability impact are high, with low confidentiality impact. The exploit requires low privileges and user interaction is required for successful exploitation. The scope of the impact is changed when the vulnerability is triggered.
Vulnerability Description
The vulnerability in LibreOffice allows an attacker to execute arbitrary GStreamer plugins by exploiting insufficiently escaped filenames of embedded videos passed to GStreamer.
Affected Systems and Versions
LibreOffice versions 7.5.9 (and below) and 7.6.3 (and below) are affected by this vulnerability, making systems running these versions susceptible to arbitrary GStreamer pipeline injection.
Exploitation Mechanism
Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by manipulating the filenames of embedded videos in LibreOffice to execute arbitrary GStreamer plugins, thereby compromising the target system.
Mitigation and Prevention
To address CVE-2023-6185, immediate steps should be taken to mitigate the risk and prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.
Immediate Steps to Take
Users and administrators are advised to update LibreOffice to versions beyond 7.5.9 and 7.6.3 to eliminate the vulnerability and protect systems from arbitrary GStreamer pipeline injection.
Long-Term Security Practices
Implementing secure coding practices, regular security updates, and robust input validation mechanisms can enhance the overall resilience of software applications against similar vulnerabilities in the long term.
Patching and Updates
Staying informed about security advisories and promptly applying patches released by The Document Foundation can help in mitigating the risk posed by CVE-2023-6185 and safeguarding systems from potential exploitation.