CVE-2017-17087

Name: CVE-2017-17087
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2017-12-01T08:29:00.67+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.36%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2017-17087 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. fileio.c in Vim prior to 8.0.1263 sets the group ownership of a .swp file to the editor's primary group (which may be different from the group ownership of the original file), which allows local users to obtain sensitive information by leveraging an applicable group membership, as demonstrated by /etc/shadow owned by root:shadow mode 0640, but /etc/.shadow.swp owned by root:users mode 0640, a different vulnerability than CVE-2017-1000382.. EPSS estimates a 0.36% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

fileio.c in Vim prior to 8.0.1263 sets the group ownership of a .swp file to the editor's primary group (which may be different from the group ownership of the original file), which allows local users to obtain sensitive information by leveraging an applicable group membership, as demonstrated by /etc/shadow owned by root:shadow mode 0640, but /etc/.shadow.swp owned by root:users mode 0640, a different vulnerability than CVE-2017-1000382.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

EPSS Probability

0.36%

27.4th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-668

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Vim	Vim	< 8.0.1263
Debian	Debian Linux	8.0
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	16.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	18.04

References

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/27/2Mailing List
http://security.cucumberlinux.com/security/details.php?id=166Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/5a73e0ca54c77e067c3b12ea6f35e3e8681e8cf8Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/vim_dev/sRT9BtjLWMk/BRtSXNU4BwAJIssue Tracking, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00003.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/01/msg00003.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4582-1/Third Party Advisory
http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/27/2Mailing List
http://security.cucumberlinux.com/security/details.php?id=166Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/5a73e0ca54c77e067c3b12ea6f35e3e8681e8cf8Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/vim_dev/sRT9BtjLWMk/BRtSXNU4BwAJIssue Tracking, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00003.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/01/msg00003.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4582-1/Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Dec 1, 2017
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-17087?

How severe is CVE-2017-17087?

CVE-2017-17087 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.36% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2017-17087?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2017-17087?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST