#VU75141 Buffer overflow in ncurses - CVE-2023-29491

Vulnerability identifier: #VU75141

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2023-29491

CWE-ID: CWE-119

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
ncurses
Universal components / Libraries / Libraries used by multiple products

Vendor: Free Software Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to execute arbitrary code on the target system.

The vulnerability exists due to a boundary error when processing malformed data in a terminfo database file. A local user can trigger memory corruption and execute arbitrary code on the target system.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

ncurses: before 6.4

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External links
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/04/13/4
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/04/12/5
https://ncurses.scripts.mit.edu/?p=ncurses.git;a=commit;h=eb51b1ea1f75a0ec17c9c5937cb28df1e8eeec56

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

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