#VU12190 Use of externally-controlled format string in ncurses - CVE-2017-10685

Vulnerability identifier: #VU12190

Vulnerability risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 8.1 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2017-10685

CWE-ID: CWE-134

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

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

Vendor: Free Software Foundation

Description
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target system.

The weakness exists in the fmt_entry function due to use of externally-controlled format string. A remote attacker can submit a specially crafted input and execute arbitrary code.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability may result in system compromise.

Mitigation
Update to version 6.1.

Vulnerable software versions

ncurses: 6.0

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External links
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1464692

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

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