CVE-2019-18397 Memory corruption in n/a
A buffer overflow in GNU FriBidi allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via crafted text content rendered by applications using the library.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2019-18397?
CVE-2019-18397 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 13 Nov 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
A buffer overflow in the fribidi_get_par_embedding_levels_ex() function in lib/fribidi-bidi.c of GNU FriBidi through 1.0.7 allows an attacker to cause a denial of service or possibly execute arbitrary code by delivering crafted text content to a user, when this content is then rendered by an application that uses FriBidi for text layout calculations. Examples include any GNOME or GTK+ based application that uses Pango for text layout, as this internally uses FriBidi for bidirectional text layout. For example, the attacker can construct a crafted text file to be opened in GEdit, or a crafted IRC message to be viewed in HexChat.
Weakness: CWE-120
Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-18397?
It affects 2 products.
Linux distribution packages (28)
fribidi Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi-devel Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi-devel Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi-devel Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi-devel Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:1.0.2-1.el7_7.1 |
fribidi Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.0.4-7.el8_1 |
fribidi-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.0.4-7.el8_1 |
fribidi-debugsource Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.0.4-7.el8_1 |
fribidi-devel Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | All versions | 0:1.0.4-7.el8_1 |
fribidi Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.0::appstream | All versions | 0:1.0.4-6.el8_0.1 |
fribidi-debuginfo Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.0::appstream | All versions | 0:1.0.4-6.el8_0.1 |
fribidi-debugsource Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.0::appstream | All versions | 0:1.0.4-6.el8_0.1 |
fribidi-devel Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.0::appstream | All versions | 0:1.0.4-6.el8_0.1 |
fribidi SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.0 | All versions | 1.0.5-3.3.1 |
fribidi SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | All versions | 1.0.5-3.3.1 |
fribidi SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3 | All versions | 1.0.5-3.3.1 |
fribidi SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP2 | All versions | 1.0.5-3.3.1 |
fribidi SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP3 | All versions | 1.0.5-3.3.1 |
fribidi openSUSE:Leap 15.2 | All versions | 1.0.5-lp152.2.3.1 |
fribidi openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | All versions | 1.0.5-3.3.1 |
fribidi openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 1.0.10-2.1 |
Products include Debian Debian Linux, Gnu Fribidi.
How do I fix CVE-2019-18397?
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-2019-18397 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-18397 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux
Sources
Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2019-18397, DEBIAN-CVE-2019-18397, DSA-4561-1, GHSA-fcm8-q275-jqv2, JLSEC-2025-169, MGASA-2019-0325 and 7 more.