CVE-2018-17942 Memory corruption in n/a
A heap-based buffer overflow in Gnulib's vasnprintf function allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via crafted float formatting.
- 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
What is CVE-2018-17942?
CVE-2018-17942 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 3 Oct 2018. 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
The convert_to_decimal function in vasnprintf.c in Gnulib before 2018-09-23 has a heap-based buffer overflow because memory is not allocated for a trailing '\0' character during %f processing.
Weakness: CWE-787
Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-17942?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Gnu Gnulib.
How do I fix CVE-2018-17942?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2018-17942 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-17942 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2018-17942, DLA-1543-1, GHSA-xwh4-p62h-wq65, OESA-2022-1558, OESA-2022-2089, OESA-2025-1051 and 1 more.