Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2015-8557


The FontManager._get_nix_font_path function in formatters/img.py in Pygments 1.2.2 through 2.0.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in a font name.


Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a CRITICAL severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.0, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network but requires specific conditions to be met without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 2 products from canonical, from pygments organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2016, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.


Published

2016-01-08T20:59:02.233

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 9.0 (CRITICAL)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

  • Access Vector: NETWORK
  • Access Complexity: MEDIUM
  • Authentication: NONE
  • Confidentiality Impact: COMPLETE
  • Integrity Impact: COMPLETE
  • Availability Impact: COMPLETE
Exploitability Score

8.6

Impact Score

10.0

Weaknesses
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-78

Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Operating System canonical ubuntu_linux 12.04 Yes
Operating System canonical ubuntu_linux 14.04 Yes
Operating System canonical ubuntu_linux 15.04 Yes
Operating System canonical ubuntu_linux 15.10 Yes
Application pygments pygments 1.2.2 Yes
Application pygments pygments 1.3 Yes
Application pygments pygments 1.3.1 Yes
Application pygments pygments 1.4 Yes
Application pygments pygments 1.5 Yes
Application pygments pygments 1.6 Yes
Application pygments pygments 1.6 Yes
Application pygments pygments 2.0 Yes
Application pygments pygments 2.0 Yes
Application pygments pygments 2.0.1 Yes

References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For canonical's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.