An issue was discovered in the Bidirectional Algorithm in the Unicode Specification through 14.0. It permits the visual reordering of characters via control sequences, which can be used to craft source code that renders different logic than the logical ordering of tokens ingested by compilers and interpreters. Adversaries can leverage this to encode source code for compilers accepting Unicode such that targeted vulnerabilities are introduced invisibly to human reviewers. NOTE: the Unicode Consortium offers the following alternative approach to presenting this concern. An issue is noted in the nature of international text that can affect applications that implement support for The Unicode Standard and the Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm (all versions). Due to text display behavior when text includes left-to-right and right-to-left characters, the visual order of tokens may be different from their logical order. Additionally, control characters needed to fully support the requirements of bidirectional text can further obfuscate the logical order of tokens. Unless mitigated, an adversary could craft source code such that the ordering of tokens perceived by human reviewers does not match what will be processed by a compiler/interpreter/etc. The Unicode Consortium has documented this class of vulnerability in its document, Unicode Technical Report #36, Unicode Security Considerations. The Unicode Consortium also provides guidance on mitigations for this class of issues in Unicode Technical Standard #39, Unicode Security Mechanisms, and in Unicode Standard Annex #31, Unicode Identifier and Pattern Syntax. Also, the BIDI specification allows applications to tailor the implementation in ways that can mitigate misleading visual reordering in program text; see HL4 in Unicode Standard Annex #9, Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm.
Find out more about CVE-2021-42574 from the MITRE-CVE dictionary and NIST NVD
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| Product Name | Status | Defect | Fixed | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | ||||
| Wind River Linux LTS 17 | Fixed | -- | 10.17.41.26 | -- |
| Wind River Linux 8 | Requires LTSS | -- | -- | -- |
| Wind River Linux 9 | Requires LTSS | -- | -- | -- |
| Wind River Linux 7 | Requires LTSS | -- | -- | -- |
| Wind River Linux LTS 21 | Won't Fix |
LIN1021-2227 |
-- | -- |
| Wind River Linux LTS 22 | Not Vulnerable | -- | -- | -- |
| Wind River Linux LTS 18 | Fixed |
LIN1018-8358 |
10.18.44.25 | -- |
| Wind River Linux LTS 19 | Fixed |
LIN1019-7355 |
10.19.45.21 | -- |
| Wind River Linux CD release | Fixed |
LINCD-7194 |
10.22.13.0 | -- |
| Wind River Linux 6 | Requires LTSS | -- | -- | -- |
| Wind River Linux LTS 23 | Not Vulnerable | -- | -- | -- |
| VxWorks | ||||
| VxWorks 7 | Vulnerable | -- | -- | -- |
| VxWorks 6.9 | Not Vulnerable | -- | -- | -- |
| Helix Virtualization Platform Cert Edition | ||||
| Helix Virtualization Platform Cert Edition | Not Vulnerable | -- | -- | -- |
| Product Name | Status | Defect | Fixed | Downloads |
|---|
