# CVE-2017-10790: Null dereference in n/a

> A NULL pointer dereference in GNU Libtasn1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via crafted input.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:** 2 Jul 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2017-10790, DEBIAN-CVE-2017-10790, DLA-1038-1, DLA-2255-1, GHSA-xcv8-6xfc-9686, UBUNTU-CVE-2017-10790

## What is CVE-2017-10790?

CVE-2017-10790 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 2 Jul 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The _asn1_check_identifier function in GNU Libtasn1 through 4.12 causes a NULL pointer dereference and crash when reading crafted input that triggers assignment of a NULL value within an asn1_node structure. It may lead to a remote denial of service attack.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-10790?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Gnu Libtasn1.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-10790?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2017-10790 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-10790 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2025-13151](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-13151/): CVE-2025-13151 (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2018-1000654](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-1000654/): Denial of service in n/a (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-10790 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-10790 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 2 Jul 2017. 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-2017-10790 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2017-10790/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-10790/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-10790
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-10790
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-10790

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-10790/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.