CVE-2024-32487: less · n/a
Affects lessSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.6 High : upgrade to 654 soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 08:30 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 49% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 654
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 13 Apr 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade gwsw/less to 654.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
GitHubgwsw/lesspkg:github/gwsw/lessOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
1. Avoid opening untrusted archives or files with less until a patch is available. 2. Disable or unset the LESSOPEN environment variable in environments where untrusted files may be viewed to prevent preprocessing that triggers the vulnerability. 3. Use alternative file viewers or pagers that do not have this vulnerability when handling untrusted content. 4. 5. Implement strict file validation and sanitization policies before processing archives or files with less. 6. Educate users about the risks of opening files from untrusted sources, especially archives that may contain malicious filenames. 7. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to detect suspicious command execution patterns related to less usage. 8. Restrict user privileges to minimize the impact of potential exploitation.
Description
less through 653 allows OS command execution via a newline character in the name of a file, because quoting is mishandled in filename.c. Exploitation typically requires use with attacker-controlled file names, such as the files extracted from an untrusted archive. Exploitation also requires the LESSOPEN environment variable, but this is set by default in many common cases.
References
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/04/13/2 (opens in a new tab)
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/04/12/5 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/gwsw/less/commit/007521ac3c95bc76e3d59c6dbfe75d06c8075c33 (opens in a new tab)
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/04/15/1 (opens in a new tab)
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240605-0009/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/05/msg00018.html (opens in a new tab)