CVE-2017-17087

What it is

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.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited locally on the machine with a low-privilege account. High risk of data exposure.

Exploit odds

0.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2017-12-01 08:29 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-06-17 01:10 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 0.4% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 5.5 MEDIUM (CVSS).
• Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published

2017-12-01 08:29 UTC

Last modified

2026-06-17 01:10 UTC

Exploit probability

0.4% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-668 · Resource exposure

Record status

Modified

Affected

• Vim < 8.0.1263
• Debian Linux 8.0
• Debian Linux 9.0
• Canonical Ubuntu Linux 16.04
• Canonical Ubuntu Linux 18.04

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 5.5

Attack vector

Local

Complexity

Low

Privileges needed

Low

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

None

Availability

None

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2017-17087.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2017-17087. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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