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Pygments CVE-2015-8557

CRITICAL
OS Command Injection (CWE-78)
2016-01-08 cve@mitre.org
Command Injection Canonical Ubuntu Linux Pygments
9.0
CVSS 3.0 · NVD
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Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
CWE-78
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization OS command sanitization, avoid shell exec
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 1 tactic: Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

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Impact

CVSS score of 9.0 (CRITICAL). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, high complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction not required. EPSS exploitation probability: 5.67%.
Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker could execute arbitrary operating system commands on the host by sending crafted requests to the affected application. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.
Patch available 5.7% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

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. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. This OS Command Injection vulnerability could allow attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the host.

RemediationAI

A vendor patch is available. Apply the latest security update as soon as possible. Avoid passing user input to shell commands. Use language-specific APIs instead of shell execution. Apply strict input validation with allowlists.

Affected Packages

pypi pygments fix: 2.1

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in pypi

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

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Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as OS Command Injection (CWE-78), which allows attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the host. 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. Affected products include: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Pygments. Version information: through 2.0.2.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 9.0 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

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.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
5.7%
Top 10% exploitable
Data Quality
3 sources
Confidence: Low
NVD CVE.org EPSS

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 5.7%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

51
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +6
CVSS: +45
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

OS Command Injection CRITICAL

OS command injection occurs when an application passes unsanitized user input directly into system shell commands.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:15.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:15.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pygments:pygments:1.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pygments:pygments:1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pygments:pygments:1.3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pygments:pygments:1.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pygments:pygments:1.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pygments:pygments:1.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pygments:pygments:1.6:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pygments:pygments:2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pygments:pygments:2.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pygments:pygments:2.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More in Pygments

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CVE-2021-27291 HIGH POC
7.5 Mar 17

In pygments 1.1+, fixed in 2.7.4, the lexers used to parse programming languages rely heavily on regular expressions. Ra
CVE-2021-20270 HIGH
7.5 Mar 23

An infinite loop in SMLLexer in Pygments versions 1.5 to 2.7.3 may lead to denial of service when performing syntax high
CVE-2026-4539 LOW POC
1.9 Mar 22

A regular expression denial-of-service (ReDoS) vulnerability exists in Pygments up to version 2.19.2, specifically in th

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References

Advisories & patches
ADVISORY https://bitbucket.org/birkenfeld/pygments-main/pull-requests/501/fix-shell-injection-in/diff REF http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/133823/Pygments-FontManager._get_nix_font_path-Shell-Injection.html REF http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2015/Oct/4 REF http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3445 REF http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/12/14/17 REF http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/12/14/6 REF http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/bulletinjan2016-2867206.html REF http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2862-1 REF https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201612-05

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