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How the Mentioned CVE Works
This vulnerability stems from improper input neutralization within flawfinder, a static analysis tool for C/C++ code. The core issue is that flawfinder fails to adequately sanitize untrusted data—specifically, filenames and source code text—before including them in its output. This oversight creates two primary attack vectors: Terminal/ANSI Escape Sequence Injection and CSV/XML Injection.
The Terminal Output Spoofing vector exploits the fact that flawfinder’s standard terminal output does not filter ANSI escape sequences. An attacker can create a file with a name containing malicious ANSI escape codes. When flawfinder scans a directory containing this file, the unsanitized filename is printed to the terminal. The embedded escape sequences can then manipulate the terminal display, for example, by moving the cursor, overwriting text, or changing text color. This allows an attacker to hide critical security warnings from a human reviewer, making it appear as though no vulnerabilities were found when, in fact, they were simply obscured.
The second vector, CSV and XML Injection, arises when generating structured reports. Untrusted fields like filenames, vulnerability categories, or code context snippets are not sanitized before being placed into CSV or SonarQube XML output. An attacker can inject special characters (e.g., commas, quotes, or newlines) into a filename to corrupt the structure of a CSV report, leading to data misinterpretation or parser errors. More critically, by injecting XML markup into a filename, an attacker can manipulate the `output_sonar()` function to inject arbitrary XML attributes or even entire nodes into the generated SonarQube report, potentially compromising downstream systems that consume this data.
This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it is triggered simply by the presence of a maliciously named file within the scan target. No code execution is required; the attack is passive and can be embedded in a repository’s file structure.
DailyCVE Form
Platform: ……. Flawfinder
Version: …….. <2.0.20
Vulnerability :…… Output manipulation
Severity: ……. Medium (5.9)
date: ………. 2026-05-16
Prediction: …… Already patched
What Undercode Say: Analytics
Check installed version flawfinder --version Upgrade to patched version pip install --upgrade flawfinder Verify upgrade pip show flawfinder
Example of a malicious filename that could trigger the vulnerability malicious_filename = "\033[2J\033[HNo issues found!\n"
How Exploit
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by creating a file with a name containing ANSI escape sequences or CSV/XML injection payloads and then tricking a user into running flawfinder on the directory containing that file.
Terminal Output Spoofing Example:
Create a file with a name that clears the screen and prints a fake message touch "$(printf '\033[2J\033[HNo vulnerabilities found!\n')" flawfinder .
CSV Injection Example:
Create a file with a name that injects a new column into a CSV report touch "test,1,2,3,INJECTED" flawfinder --csv . > report.csv
Protection
The primary and only complete protection is to upgrade to flawfinder version 2.0.20 or later.
If an immediate upgrade is not possible, the following mitigations can reduce risk:
– Pre-scanning filenames: Manually or programmatically verify that target repositories do not contain filenames with control characters (including ANSI escape sequences) before scanning.
– Inspecting raw output: Review flawfinder outputs in a text editor or logging mechanism that explicitly displays or strips raw escape sequences, rather than relying on live terminal rendering.
– Restricting untrusted inputs: Avoid generating SonarQube or CSV reports from completely untrusted repositories until the tool is updated.
Impact
The impact of this vulnerability is significant for users who rely on flawfinder for security auditing:
– Deception: Attackers can hide critical scan results, leading to false negatives and a false sense of security.
– Data Corruption: CSV reports can be corrupted, making them unusable or leading to incorrect data interpretation.
– Downstream System Compromise: XML injection in SonarQube reports could lead to the corruption of vulnerability databases or the injection of malicious data into other systems that consume these reports.
– Trust Erosion: The integrity of the flawfinder tool as a reliable security scanner is compromised.
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Sources:
Reported By: github.com
Extra Source Hub:
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