CVE-2025-69720 Memory corruption in ncurses
High 7.3
Published
Updated
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-69720 and fix it if it is affected.
What it is: CVE-2025-69720 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in GNU ncurses, published on 19 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-69720 exists.
Affected product: GNU ncurses. 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-2025-69720/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-69720/index.md)
A stack-based buffer overflow in the infocmp tool allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service.
- 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-2025-69720?
CVE-2025-69720 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in GNU ncurses, published on 19 Mar 2026. 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
The infocmp command-line tool in ncurses before 6.5-20251213 has a stack-based buffer overflow in analyze_string in progs/infocmp.c.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-69720?
It affects 1 product.
Linux distribution packages (40)
ncurses-base AlmaLinux:10 | All versions | 6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses-term AlmaLinux:10 | All versions | 6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.1 | All versions | 0:6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses-base Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.1 | All versions | 0:6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses-c++-libs Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.1 | All versions | 0:6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses-c++-libs-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.1 | All versions | 0:6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.1 | All versions | 0:6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses-debugsource Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.1 | All versions | 0:6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses-devel Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.1 | All versions | 0:6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses-libs Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.1 | All versions | 0:6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses-libs-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.1 | All versions | 0:6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses-term Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.1 | All versions | 0:6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:6.4-14.20240127.el10_0.1 |
ncurses-base Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:6.4-14.20240127.el10_0.1 |
ncurses-c++-libs Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:6.4-14.20240127.el10_0.1 |
ncurses-c++-libs-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:6.4-14.20240127.el10_0.1 |
ncurses-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:6.4-14.20240127.el10_0.1 |
ncurses-debugsource Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:6.4-14.20240127.el10_0.1 |
ncurses-devel Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:6.4-14.20240127.el10_0.1 |
ncurses-libs Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:6.4-14.20240127.el10_0.1 |
ncurses-libs-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:6.4-14.20240127.el10_0.1 |
ncurses-term Red Hat:enterprise_linux_eus:10.0 | All versions | 0:6.4-14.20240127.el10_0.1 |
ncurses Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | All versions | 0:6.6-1.1.hum1 |
ncurses-base Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | All versions | 0:6.6-1.1.hum1 |
ncurses-c++-libs Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | All versions | 0:6.6-1.1.hum1 |
ncurses-compat-libs Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | All versions | 0:6.6-1.1.hum1 |
ncurses-devel Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | All versions | 0:6.6-1.1.hum1 |
ncurses-libs Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | All versions | 0:6.6-1.1.hum1 |
ncurses-static Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | All versions | 0:6.6-1.1.hum1 |
ncurses-term Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | All versions | 0:6.6-1.1.hum1 |
ncurses Rocky Linux:10 | All versions | 0:6.4-15.20240127.el10_1 |
ncurses SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | All versions | 6.1-150000.5.33.1 |
ncurses SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | All versions | 6.1-150000.5.33.1 |
ncurses SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | All versions | 6.1-150000.5.33.1 |
ncurses SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | All versions | 6.1-150000.5.33.1 |
ncurses SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | All versions | 6.1-150000.5.33.1 |
ncurses SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | All versions | 6.1-150000.5.33.1 |
ncurses SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP7 | All versions | 6.1-150000.5.33.1 |
ncurses SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | All versions | 6.5.20250531-160000.3.1 |
ncurses SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | All versions | 5.9-91.1 |
Products include Invisible-Island Ncurses.
How do I fix CVE-2025-69720?
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-2025-69720 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-69720 exists.
Public exploit code: 1 proofs of concept on GitHub.
Other vulnerabilities in GNU ncurses
Sources
Also known as ALSA-2026:5913, AZL-80469, BELL-CVE-2025-69720, CLSA-2026-1776163577, CLSA-2026-1777445825, CLSA-2026-1777480556 and 27 more.