#VU31988 Buffer overflow in NetHack - CVE-2019-19905

Vulnerability identifier: #VU31988

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-2019-19905

CWE-ID: CWE-120

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
NetHack
Client/Desktop applications / Games

Vendor: The NetHack DevTeam

Description

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

NetHack 3.6.x before 3.6.4 is prone to a buffer overflow vulnerability when reading very long lines from configuration files. This affects systems that have NetHack installed suid/sgid, and shared systems that allow users to upload their own configuration files.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

NetHack: 3.6.0 - 3.6.3

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External links
https://bugs.debian.org/947005
https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/commit/f001de79542b8c38b1f8e6d7eaefbbd28ab94b47
https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/commit/f4a840a48f4bcf11757b3d859e9d53cc9d5ef226
https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack/security/advisories/GHSA-3cm7-rgh5-9pq5
https://nethack.org/security/

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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.