CVE-2018-1000156

GNU Patch is a common tool used to apply updates to software files using “patch” files. With CVE-2018-1000156, a specially crafted patch file can trick the tool into running code instead of just applying changes. Think of it like a file format meant for safe “instructions,” but an attacker can make those instructions trigger a command run instead.

This matters if you run the patch utility from GNU Patch version 2.7.6 (on systems such as Debian/Ubuntu/Red Hat Enterprise Linux and related distributions). It does not require a login to start the risk in general, but it does require a patch file to be processed (the user/process has to apply it), and the exact “reachable in default config” condition is not known from the provided findings. Practically, treat it as a risk mainly if your business workflow applies patch files from untrusted sources or automated pipelines can ingest untrusted patch content.

Verdict: AMBER. Attackers can exploit this with a malicious patch file, and a public exploit is available, so the risk rises quickly in environments where untrusted patch files are processed. It is not described as an automatic remote risk, but patch-file handling is common in build, maintenance, and software-update workflows.