Terminal2Shell is a design-level vulnerability in terminal emulators. When a terminal is launched, it immediately spawns a shell process and connects it directly to the user's keyboard. From there, the attacker can issue arbitrary commands with the full privileges of the logged-in user.
Researchers have confirmed that the shell will execute any command typed into it, including commands that delete files, install software, and modify system configuration. In some cases, the shell has been observed executing commands the user typed themselves.
Product
Vector
Status
macOS
Terminal.app, iTerm2, Ghostty, Warp
VULNERABLE
Linux
gnome-terminal, Konsole, xterm, Ctrl+Alt+F2
VULNERABLE
Windows
cmd.exe, PowerShell, Windows Terminal, WSL
VULNERABLE
FreeBSD / OpenBSD
Literally the default experience
VULNERABLE
DEC VT100 (1978)
Physical serial cable
VULNERABLE
Your router
SSH, telnet, the little console port on the back
VULNERABLE
VS Code
Ctrl+` (one keystroke!)
VULNERABLE
Microsoft Paint
None known
Not affected