Description
Buffer overflow in cfingerd 1.4.3 and earlier with the ALLOW_LINE_PARSING option enabled allows local users to execute arbitrary code via a long line in the .nofinger file.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | cfingerd | 1.4.3-1.1 | — |
| Debian 13 | cfingerd | 1.4.3-1.1 | — |
| Debian 12 | cfingerd | 1.4.3-1.1 | — |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 3
- cfingerd 1.4.1/1.4.2/1.4.3 Utilities - Local Buffer Overflow (2) EDB-20963 · local · Jul 11, 2001 · verified
- cfingerd 1.4.1/1.4.2/1.4.3 Utilities - Local Buffer Overflow (3) EDB-20964 · local · Jul 10, 2001 · verified
- cfingerd 1.4.1/1.4.2/1.4.3 Utilities - Local Buffer Overflow (1) EDB-20962 · local · Jun 21, 2001 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
References
- 2914 vdb-entry
- DSA-066 vendor-advisory
- cfingerd-util-bo(6744) vdb-entry
- 20010711 Another exploit for cfingerd <= 1.4.3-8 mailing-list
- 20010621 cfingerd local vulnerability (possibly root) mailing-list