CVE-2019-12900: Critical severity Bzip bzip2 vulnerability

Published Jun 19, 2019
·
Updated

BZ2decompress in decompress.c in bzip2 through 1.0.6 has an out-of-bounds write when there are many selectors.

Other sources

There were several "Security Fixes" for bzip2: out-of-bounds write in function BZ2decompress (CVE-2019-12900). e.g. RHSA-2024:8922 and RHSA-2024:10803.

The problem is that CVE-2019-12900 is 5 years old and bogus. The applied patch causes a change in behavior which causes some bz2 files to no longer decompress.

Upstream did a better fix for bzip2 1.0.8. Full story is here: https://gnu.wildebeest.org/blog/mjw/2019/08/02/bzip2-and-the-cve-that-wasnt/

You can see check that the new bzip2 is broken by running the upstream bzip2 testsuite:

$ git clone https://sourceware.org/git/bzip2-tests.git $ cd bzip2-tests $ ./run-tests.sh [...] bzip2: Data integrity error when decompressing. FAIL: ./lbzip2/32767.bz2 Decompress [...] Bad results, look for FAIL and !!! in the logs above - ./lbzip2/32767.bz2 bad decompress result

There should obviously be no FAILs.

Please revert this patch or apply the followup patch from 1.0.8: https://inbox.sourceware.org/bzip2-devel/f9230fc65a3529b59b31f13494c72a1c01a6148e.camel@klomp.org/ https://sourceware.org/cgit/bzip2/commit/?id=b07b105d1b66e32760095e3602261738443b9e13

Upstream reminder to Please don't "fix" CVE-2019-12900: https://inbox.sourceware.org/bzip2-devel/20241108214034.GC8315@gnu.wildebeest.org

Red Hat

Affected Software

41 affected componentsFixes available
Bzip bzip2<=1.0.6
Debian Debian Linux=8.0
openSUSE Leap=15.0
openSUSE Leap=15.1
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=12.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=14.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=16.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=18.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=19.04
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-p10
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-p11
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-p12
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-p2
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-p3
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-p4
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-p5
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-p6
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-p7
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-p8
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-p9
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.2-rc3
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.3
FreeBSD FreeBSD=11.3-p1
FreeBSD FreeBSD=12.0
FreeBSD FreeBSD=12.0-p1
FreeBSD FreeBSD=12.0-p2
FreeBSD FreeBSD=12.0-p3
FreeBSD FreeBSD=12.0-p4
FreeBSD FreeBSD=12.0-p5
FreeBSD FreeBSD=12.0-p6
FreeBSD FreeBSD=12.0-p7
FreeBSD FreeBSD=12.0-p8
Python Python>=3.7.0<3.7.13
Python Python>=3.8.0<3.8.13
Python Python>=3.9.0<3.9.11
Python Python>=3.10.0<3.10.3
debian/bzip2
1.0.8-41.0.8-51.0.8-6
debian/clamav
0.103.10+dfsg-0+deb11u11.0.7+dfsg-1~deb11u21.0.7+dfsg-1~deb12u11.4.3+dfsg-1
IBM DS8A00( R10.0 - R10.1 )<=10.1.3.0 - 10.10.106.0
IBM DS8900F ( R9.4)<=89.40.83.0-89.44.5.0

Event History

Jun 19, 2019
CVE Published
via MITRE·10:07 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·10:07 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·11:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Jun 27, 2019
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·07:16 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Jan 11, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·11:16 PM
Description
Sep 16, 2024
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·02:10 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Dec 12, 2024
Updated
via Red Hat·02:02 PM
DescriptionSeverity
Jul 9, 2025
Data Sourced
via Debian·04:18 AM
DescriptionAffected Software
Dec 18, 2025
Data Sourced
via IBM·12:00 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Free Weekly Intel

Don't miss critical vulnerabilities

Join thousands of security professionals who receive our weekly digest of trending CVEs, zero-days, and exploited vulnerabilities.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2019-12900?

CVE-2019-12900 is a vulnerability in the BZ2_decompress function in bzip2 through version 1.0.6 that allows an out-of-bounds write when there are many selectors.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2019-12900?

The severity of CVE-2019-12900 is critical with a CVSS score of 9.8.

3

How does CVE-2019-12900 affect bzip2?

CVE-2019-12900 affects bzip2 versions 1.0.6 through 1.0.8 causing an out-of-bounds write in the BZ2_decompress function.

4

How can I fix CVE-2019-12900 in bzip2?

To fix CVE-2019-12900 in bzip2, update to version 1.0.9 or later.

5

Are there any references for CVE-2019-12900?

Yes, you can find references for CVE-2019-12900 at the following links: [1] GitLab commit: 74de1e2e6ffc9d51ef9824db71a8ffee5962cdbc [2] Debian LTS announce: June 2019 message [3] Ubuntu Security Notice: USN-4038-2.

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203