# CVE-2014-3484: Memory corruption in musl libc

> Remote attackers can cause denial of service or potentially execute code via stack-based buffer overflows in the DNS expansion function of musl libc.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 20 Feb 2020
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2014-3484, GHSA-j83j-g9hw-7wvp, MGASA-2014-0262, UBUNTU-CVE-2014-3484

## What is CVE-2014-3484?

CVE-2014-3484 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in musl libc, published on 20 Feb 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in the __dn_expand function in network/dn_expand.c in musl libc 1.1x before 1.1.2 and 0.9.13 through 1.0.3 allow remote attackers to (1) have unspecified impact via an invalid name length in a DNS response or (2) cause a denial of service (crash) via an invalid name length in a DNS response, related to an infinite loop with no output.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2014-3484?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Musl-Libc Musl.

## How do I fix CVE-2014-3484?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2014-3484 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2014-3484 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in musl libc

- [CVE-2019-14697](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-14697/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2015-1817](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-1817/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2025-26519](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-26519/): Memory corruption in musl (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2017-15650](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-15650/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2014-3484 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2014-3484 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in musl libc, published on 20 Feb 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2014-3484 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: musl libc. 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-2014-3484/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-3484/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2014-3484
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-3484
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2014-3484

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-3484/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.