Buffer overflow in FreeBSD - CVE-2016-6559

Detailed vulnerability description

The vulnerability allows a remote non-authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code.

Improper bounds checking of the obuf variable in the link_ntoa() function in linkaddr.c of the BSD libc library may allow an attacker to read or write from memory. The full impact and severity depends on the method of exploit and how the library is used by applications. According to analysis by FreeBSD developers, it is very unlikely that applications exist that utilize link_ntoa() in an exploitable manner, and the CERT/CC is not aware of any proof of concept. A blog post describes the functionality of link_ntoa() and points out that none of the base utilities use this function in an exploitable manner. For more information, please see FreeBSD Security Advisory SA-16:37.

How to mitigate CVE-2016-6559

Sources

• http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037398
• https://www.freebsd.org/security/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-16:37.libc.asc
• https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/548487
• https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94694