Medium

XZ Utils Windows Best-Fit Mapping Argument Injection

IdentifiersCVE-2024-47611CWE-176· Improper Handling of Unicode…

CVE-2024-47611 is an improper Unicode handling vulnerability in the native Windows command-line tools shipped with XZ Utils 5.6.2 and earlier. When compiled with MinGW-w64 or MSVC, the tools convert Unicode command-line characters that are unavailable in the active legacy Windows code page using best-fit mappings. Certain mappings yield ASCII metacharacters or path-significant characters, changing the semantic interpretation of the resulting command line. An attacker-controlled filename containing affected Unicode characters can consequently inject command-line arguments or alter path traversal behavior. The liblzma library is not affected, and builds targeting Cygwin or MSYS2 are unaffected.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

An attacker able to cause a vulnerable native-Windows XZ command-line tool to process a crafted Unicode filename or other command-line input may alter its effective arguments. This can enable unintended tool options or directory traversal, potentially leading to unauthorized file operations or other effects determined by the injected options and the invoking application's privileges.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

Until upgraded, avoid passing attacker-controlled filenames or Unicode command-line data to affected native Windows XZ tools. Where operationally viable, use unaffected Cygwin or MSYS2 builds. Constrain file-processing workflows to trusted directories and validate or reject Unicode inputs that may undergo legacy-code-page best-fit conversion.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade native Windows XZ Utils command-line tools to version 5.6.3 or later, which fixes the best-fit mapping issue. Ensure that distributed or bundled native Windows XZ executables are updated; updating liblzma alone does not address the affected command-line tools.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No valid public exploits. Mallory filtered out 1 candidate as fakes, detection scripts, or README-only repos.

VALID 0 / 1 TOTALView more in app

All candidate exploits were filtered out by Mallory's validation.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

TukaaniXzapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

1 sources tracked across advisories and community write-ups. News coverage will land here when it surfaces.

1 SOURCESView more in app

No news coverage yet. Advisories and community discussion only.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

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Detection signatures

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Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity