An issue in file() was introduced in commit 9611f31313a93aa036389c5f3b15eea53510d4d1 (Oct 2016) lets an attacker overwrite a fixed 20 bytes
An issue in file() was introduced in commit 9611f31313a93aa036389c5f3b15eea53510d4d1 (Oct 2016) lets an attacker overwrite a fixed 20 bytes stack buffer with a specially crafted .notes section in an ELF binary. This was fixed in commit 35c94dc6acc418f1ad7f6241a6680e5327495793 (Aug 2017).
- Published
- Sep 11, 2017
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.4% · 32th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-119
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Report tools
Action score
22
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.4%
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| file project | file | cpe:2.3:a:file_project:file |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- file project file5.29
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | file | before 1:5.32-1 | 1:5.32-1 |
| Debian:9 | file | before 1:5.30-1+deb9u1 | 1:5.30-1+deb9u1 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | file | before 5.40-1.14 | 5.40-1.14 |
Same product
file project: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2019-8907do_core_note in readelf.c in libmagic.a in file 5.35 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack corruption and application 36Monitor
- CVE-2019-8904do_bid_note in readelf.c in libmagic.a in file 5.35 has a stack-based buffer over-read, related to file_printf and file_vprintf.36Monitor
- CVE-2019-18218cdf_read_property_info in cdf.c in file through 5.37 does not restrict the number of CDF_VECTOR elements, which allows a heap-based buffer o32Monitor
- CVE-2018-10360The do_core_note function in readelf.c in libmagic.a in file 5.33 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read a27Monitor
- CVE-2022-48554File before 5.43 has an stack-based buffer over-read in file_copystr in funcs.c.22Monitor
- CVE-2014-8117softmagic.c in file before 5.21 does not properly limit recursion, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumpti22Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:file | 1:5.32-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:file | 5.40-1.14 · openSUSE:Tumbleweed | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- none
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- none
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-119 · Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory BufferCVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Buffer Overflow via Environment VariablesCAPEC-10likelihood: High · High
- Overflow BuffersCAPEC-100likelihood: High · Very High
- Buffer ManipulationCAPEC-123likelihood: High · Very High
- Client-side Injection-induced Buffer OverflowCAPEC-14likelihood: Medium · High
- Filter Failure through Buffer OverflowCAPEC-24likelihood: High · High
- MIME ConversionCAPEC-42likelihood: High · High
- Overflow Binary Resource FileCAPEC-44likelihood: High · Very High
- Buffer Overflow via Symbolic LinksCAPEC-45likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3965
- github.com/file/file/commit/35c94dc6acc418f1ad7f6241a6680e5327495793
- github.com/file/file/commit/9611f31313a93aa036389c5f3b15eea53510d4d
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/201710-02
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.