Remote code execution in ncurses

1) Out-of-bounds write

EUVDB-ID: #VU57577

Risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 6.1 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2021-39537

CWE-ID: CWE-787 - Out-of-bounds write

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to compromise vulnerable system.

The vulnerability exists due to a boundary error when processing untrusted input. A remote attacker can create a specially crafted file, trick the victim into opening it using the affected software, trigger out-of-bounds write and execute arbitrary code on the target system.

Mitigation

Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

ncurses: 6.0 - 6.2

CPE2.3

• cpe:2.3:a:free_software_foundation:ncurses:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:free_software_foundation:ncurses:6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:free_software_foundation:ncurses:6.1.20180407:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

External links

https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-ncurses/2020-08/msg00006.html
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-ncurses/2021-10/msg00023.html
https://cvsweb.netbsd.org/bsdweb.cgi/pkgsrc/devel/ncurses/patches/patch-ncurses_tinfo_captoinfo.c?rev=1.1&content-type=text/x-cvsweb-markup

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.