# CVE-2012-1136: Memory corruption in n/a

> Remote attackers can cause denial of service or execute arbitrary code via crafted BDF font data in FreeType, affecting applications like Firefox Mobile.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.3 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Apr 2012
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2012-1136, GHSA-whgh-75v6-65qp

## What is CVE-2012-1136?

CVE-2012-1136 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Freetype Freetype, published on 25 Apr 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

FreeType before 2.4.9, as used in Mozilla Firefox Mobile before 10.0.4 and other products, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (invalid heap write operation and memory corruption) or possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted glyph or bitmap data in a BDF font that lacks an ENCODING field.

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-1136?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Freetype Freetype, Mozilla Firefox Mobile.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-1136?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2012-1136 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-1136 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Freetype Freetype

- [CVE-2012-1126](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1126/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2015-9290](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-9290/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-8287](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-8287/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-10328](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-10328/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-7857](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-7857/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-1136 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-1136 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Freetype Freetype, published on 25 Apr 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-1136 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Freetype Freetype. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1136/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1136/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-1136
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-1136
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-1136

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1136/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.