# CVE-2017-15804: Memory corruption in n/a

> A buffer overflow in glibc's glob function allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via crafted user names.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/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:** 22 Oct 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2017-15804, GHSA-3r84-39rf-qwh3, UBUNTU-CVE-2017-15804

## What is CVE-2017-15804?

CVE-2017-15804 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Gnu Glibc, published on 22 Oct 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The glob function in glob.c in the GNU C Library (aka glibc or libc6) before 2.27 contains a buffer overflow during unescaping of user names with the ~ operator.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-15804?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Gnu Glibc.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-15804?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2017-15804 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-15804 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Gnu Glibc

- [CVE-2026-5450](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-5450/): scanf %mc off-by-one heap buffer overflow (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-25139](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-25139/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-1999-0199](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-1999-0199/): Other in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2019-1010022](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1010022/): Security feature bypass in glibc (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2005-3590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-3590/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-15804 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-15804 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Gnu Glibc, published on 22 Oct 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-2017-15804 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Gnu Glibc. 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-2017-15804/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-15804/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-15804
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-15804
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-15804

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-15804/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.