# CVE-2019-18183: Command injection in n/a

> Attackers can execute arbitrary commands via crafted delta files when the non-default delta feature is enabled in the pacman package manager.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 24 Feb 2020
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-66r9-jcx4-7f35

## What is CVE-2019-18183?

CVE-2019-18183 is a critical command injection vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 24 Feb 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

pacman before 5.2 is vulnerable to arbitrary command injection in lib/libalpm/sync.c in the apply_deltas() function. This can be exploited when unsigned databases are used. To exploit the vulnerability, the user must enable the non-default delta feature and retrieve an attacker-controlled crafted database and delta file.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-18183?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Fedoraproject Fedora, Pacman Project Pacman.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-18183?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-18183 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-18183 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-18183 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Fedoraproject Fedora

- [CVE-2024-4577](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4577/): PHP-CGI OS Command Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-39226](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39226/): Grafana Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-5544](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5544/): VMware ESXi and Horizon DaaS OpenSLP Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-4947](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4947/): Google Chromium V8 Type Confusion (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-4671](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4671/): Google Chromium Visuals Use-After-Free (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-18183 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-18183 is a critical command injection vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 24 Feb 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-18183 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Fedoraproject Fedora. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-18183/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-18183/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-18183
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-18183
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-18183

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-18183/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.