CVE-2015-1804: High severity X libXfont vulnerability

Published Mar 20, 2015
·
Updated

The bdfReadCharacters function in bitmap/bdfread.c in X.Org libXfont before 1.4.9 and 1.5.x before 1.5.1 does not properly perform type conversion for metrics values, which allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds memory access) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted BDF font file.

Affected Software

7 affected components
X libXfont<=1.4.8
X libXfont=1.5.0
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=10.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=12.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=14.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=14.10
Debian Debian Linux=7.0

Event History

Mar 20, 2015
CVE Published
via MITRE·02:00 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·02:00 PM
Description
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2015-1804?

CVE-2015-1804 is considered a medium severity vulnerability due to its potential for causing a denial of service and executing arbitrary code.

2

How do I fix CVE-2015-1804?

To fix CVE-2015-1804, you should upgrade X.Org libXfont to version 1.4.9 or later, or to version 1.5.1 or later.

3

Which versions of libXfont are affected by CVE-2015-1804?

CVE-2015-1804 affects X.Org libXfont versions before 1.4.9 and 1.5.0.

4

What are the potential consequences of CVE-2015-1804?

The potential consequences of CVE-2015-1804 include denial of service and possible execution of arbitrary code due to out-of-bounds memory access.

5

How can remote authenticated users exploit CVE-2015-1804?

Remote authenticated users can exploit CVE-2015-1804 by sending specially crafted metrics values that trigger the vulnerability in libXfont.

Contact

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