Description
Buffer overflow in xloadimage 4.1 (aka xli 1.16 and 1.17) in Linux allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a FACES format image containing a long (1) Firstname or (2) Lastname field.
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 | xli | 1.17.0-17 | — |
| Debian 13 | xli | 1.17.0-17 | — |
| Debian 12 | xli | 1.17.0-17 | — |
| Debian 3.0 | xli | 1.17.0-11woody1 | DSA-695-1 |
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 1
- xloadimage 4.1 - Remote Buffer Overflow EDB-20998 · remote · Jul 10, 2001 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 1
- DSA-695-1 xli - buffer overflow, input sanitising, integer overflow Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- RHSA-2001:088 vendor-advisory
- DSA-695 vendor-advisory
- DSA-069 vendor-advisory
- 3006 vdb-entry
- SA:2001:024 vendor-advisory
- xloadimage-faces-bo(6821) vdb-entry
- GLSA-200503-05 vendor-advisory
- 20010710 xloadimage remote exploit - tstot.c mailing-list