# CVE-2020-5254: NetHack hilite_status parsing privilege escalation

> Out-of-bounds values in the hilite_status option allow attackers to trigger memory corruption, potentially leading to privilege escalation or code execution.

- **Severity:** Low 3.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 10 Mar 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2020-5254, GHSA-2ch6-6r8h-m2p9, UBUNTU-CVE-2020-5254

## What is CVE-2020-5254?

CVE-2020-5254 is a low-severity memory corruption vulnerability in NetHack, published on 10 Mar 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

In NetHack before 3.6.6, some out-of-bound values for the hilite_status option can be exploited. NetHack 3.6.6 resolves this issue.

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer), CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-5254?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nethack Nethack.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-5254?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2020-5254 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-5254 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- https://github.com/dpmdpm2/CVE-2020-5254 (github_poc): https://github.com/dpmdpm2/CVE-2020-5254

## Other vulnerabilities in NetHack

- [CVE-2019-19905](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-19905/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-24809](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-24809/): NetHack Call command buffer overflow (medium 5.5)
- [CVE-2020-5209](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5209/): NetHack command line parsing of options starting with -de and -i is subject to a buffer overflow (medium 5.0)
- [CVE-2020-5210](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5210/): NetHack command line -w option parsing is subject to a buffer overflow (medium 5.0)
- [CVE-2020-5211](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5211/): NetHack AUTOCOMPLETE configuration file option is subject to a buffer overflow (medium 5.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-5254 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-5254 is a low-severity memory corruption vulnerability in NetHack, published on 10 Mar 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-5254 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: NetHack. 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-2020-5254/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5254/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-5254
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5254
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-5254

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5254/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.