Security advisory

{
  "id": "859cb1fe92b79537f7b9b903db4607cdb0c2cff9fd6526c85fde3d74e2a0a1ae",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-5253",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "CVE-2020-5253",
    "summary": "NetHack before version 3.6.0 allowed malicious use of escaping of characters in the configuration file (usually .nethackrc) which could be exploited. This bug is patched in NetHack 3.6.0.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2020-5253",
    "products": [],
    "severity": "critical",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2020-5253",
      "aliases": [
        "CVE-2020-5253",
        "GHSA-2c7p-3fj4-223m"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "repo": "https://github.com/nethack/nethack",
              "type": "GIT",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "585e9f1b35fda7b47f8d27d12f7e93e12a69a7bc"
                }
              ],
              "database_specific": {
                "extracted_events": [
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:nethack:nethack:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "3.6.0"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  }
                ]
              }
            }
          ],
          "versions": [
            "NetHack-3.6.0_RC04",
            "NetHack-3.6.0_RC03",
            "NetHack-3.6.0_RC02",
            "NetHack-3.6.0_RC01",
            "MOVE2GIT"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2020-5253.json",
            "vanir_signatures": [
              {
                "id": "CVE-2020-5253-2acee0cf",
                "digest": {
                  "threshold": 0.9,
                  "line_hashes": [
                    "312269647539887670774664032978877969594",
                    "203008790340323208233340850392220376819",
                    "235844713220841089302372100555199115686",
                    "164687583317955788998839275239003419194"
                  ]
                },
                "source": "https://github.com/nethack/nethack/commit/585e9f1b35fda7b47f8d27d12f7e93e12a69a7bc",
                "target": {
                  "file": "win/win32/winhack.c"
                },
                "deprecated": false,
                "signature_type": "Line",
                "signature_version": "v1"
              },
              {
                "id": "CVE-2020-5253-788f2728",
                "digest": {
                  "length": 3716,
                  "function_hash": "4858587609181367127297299164415663259"
                },
                "source": "https://github.com/nethack/nethack/commit/585e9f1b35fda7b47f8d27d12f7e93e12a69a7bc",
                "target": {
                  "file": "win/win32/winhack.c",
                  "function": "WinMain"
                },
                "deprecated": false,
                "signature_type": "Function",
                "signature_version": "v1"
              }
            ],
            "vanir_signatures_modified": "2026-10-20T13:59:41Z"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-20T13:59:41.787665159Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/security/advisories/GHSA-2c7p-3fj4-223m",
        "https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/commits/612755bfb5c412079795c68ba392df5d93874ed8"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {}
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2020-5253",
        "evidence": "/id"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 388501,
  "published_at": "2020-03-10T17:15:12.973+00:00"
}