Shell command execution via unescaped mailcap input
Published Apr 13, 2022 · Updated Nov 3, 2025
Command injection in CPython 3.10.7 and earlier allows attackers to execute shell commands via untrusted mailcap filenames or arguments. The mailcap.findmatch function substitutes filenames, MIME types, and parameters into a configured command line without rejecting shell metacharacters. Exploitation requires an application to pass attacker-controlled input to findmatch and execute the returned command, which runs with that application's privileges.
Summary
What happened
Command injection in CPython 3.10.7 and earlier allows attackers to execute shell commands via untrusted mailcap filenames or arguments. The mailcap.findmatch function substitutes filenames, MIME types, and parameters into a configured command line without rejecting shell metacharacters. Exploitation requires an application to pass attacker-controlled input to findmatch and execute the returned command, which runs with that application's privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2015-20107
- Published
- Apr 13, 2022
- Updated
- Nov 3, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-77, T1059.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 13, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 3, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- mailcap.findmatch xterm proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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