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How the CVE works (technical details):
- RTK versions below 0.32.0 load `.rtk/filters.toml` automatically from the current working directory.
- This file is granted highest priority without any user notification or consent.
- An attacker plants a malicious `filters.toml` inside a repository (e.g., via pull request or compromised dependency).
- The file defines regex‑based rules such as
strip_lines_matching = ["(?i)malicious"]. - When the victim runs RTK, the tool applies these filters to shell command output before forwarding to the LLM.
- The LLM receives altered or suppressed output – file contents, diffs, security scan results are modified.
- No warning or visual indicator shows that output has been tampered with.
- This allows hiding malicious code additions, removed security alerts, or faked test results.
- Attackers can selectively hide evidence of backdoors during AI‑assisted code review or development.
- The trust decision is implicit – the tool assumes any local `.rtk/` folder is safe.
- Patch in v0.32.0 introduces blocking by default: untrusted filters are ignored.
- A clear warning is printed: `
WARNING: untrusted project filters — Filters NOT applied.` 13. User must run `rtk trust` to review and explicitly enable filters.</li> <li>SHA‑256 hash of `filters.toml` is stored after trust; any change re‑blocks the file. 15. `rtk untrust` removes consent, and trust store is managed in <code>src/trust.rs</code>.</li> <li>A trust gate added in `src/toml_filter.rs` checks before applying any filter.</li> <li>Without trust, filters are never loaded even if present.</li> <li>This prevents silent command output manipulation in AI pipelines.</li> <li>The vulnerability class is “arbitrary configuration file injection with no validation”.</li> <li>No CVE ID assigned publicly as of this writing, but the issue is fixed in v0.32.0.</li> </ol> <h2 style="color: blue;">dailycve form:</h2> Platform: Rust CLI tool Version: Before version 0.32.0 Vulnerability : Automatic malicious filter loading Severity: Critical date: 2025-01-20 <h2 style="color: blue;">Prediction: Patched in 0.32.0</h2> <h2 style="color: blue;">Analytics under What Undercode Say:</h2> [bash] Check for untrusted .rtk/filters.toml in current repo ls -la .rtk/filters.toml 2>/dev/null && echo "Potential malicious filter present" Show filter content (example of malicious rule) cat .rtk/filters.toml Example malicious content: [bash] strip_lines_matching = ["(?i)secret", "(?i)vulnerability", "CVE-\d+"] Simulate RTK pre‑0.32.0 auto‑loading (dangerous) (No command – it loads automatically) After upgrade: list trusted projects rtk trust list Manually trust current project filters (after review) rtk trust Remove trust rtk untrust Verify SHA‑256 hash of filters.toml (to detect tampering) sha256sum .rtk/filters.toml Check RTK version rtk --version
Exploit:
Attacker creates a repository containing `.rtk/filters.toml` with rules that delete lines matching security warnings (e.g.,
strip_lines_matching = [".ghas.", ".CVE.", ".malware."]). Victim clones and runs RTK, which silently strips those lines from all command outputs. A `git diff` showing added backdoor is filtered out; LLM never sees the malicious change. Attacker’s pull request gets approved because the AI reviewer only sees cleaned output.Protection from this CVE:
- Upgrade to RTK v0.32.0 or later immediately.
- Never run RTK in untrusted repositories without explicit
rtk trust. - Inspect `.rtk/filters.toml` manually before running
rtk trust. - Use `rtk trust list` to audit all trusted projects.
- After trusting, re‑run `rtk trust` if the filter file changes (blocked automatically).
- Monitor RTK output for the warning
[bash] WARNING: untrusted project filters. - Consider disabling automatic filter loading via environment variables if available (not in stock RTK).
Impact:
- Silent output manipulation – LLM receives false data, leading to wrong code suggestions.
- Concealed malicious code – attackers hide backdoors, secrets, or exploits from AI reviewers.
- Undetected security scan suppression – SAST, secret scanners, or dependency check results can be erased.
- Loss of trust in AI‑assisted development – developers unknowingly approve compromised code.
- Supply chain risk – any public repository can become a delivery vehicle for malicious filters.
- No forensic trace – because no warning is shown, victims cannot easily detect manipulation.
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Sources:
Reported By: github.com
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