Description
The decompress function in compress42.c in (1) ncompress 4.2.4 and (2) liblzw allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash), and possibly execute arbitrary code, via crafted data that leads to a buffer underflow.
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 | ncompress | 4.2.4-16 | — |
| Debian 13 | ncompress | 4.2.4-16 | — |
| Debian 12 | ncompress | 4.2.4-16 | — |
| Debian 3.1 | ncompress | 4.2.4-15sarge2 | DSA-1149-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | busybox +1 | 1:1.15.1-15.el6 | RHSA-2012:0810 |
| RHEL 5 | busybox +1 | 1:1.2.0-13.el5 | RHSA-2012:0308 |
| RHEL 4 | ncompress | 4.2.4-43.rhel4 | RHSA-2006:0663 |
| RHEL 3 | ncompress | 4.2.4-39.rhel3 | RHSA-2006:0663 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | ncompress | 4.2.4.4-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10385-1 |
Advisories 5
- RHSA-2012:0810 Red Hat Security Advisory: busybox security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2012:0308 Red Hat Security Advisory: busybox security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2006:0663 Red Hat Security Advisory: ncompress security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-1149-1 ncompress - buffer underflow Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10385-1 ncompress-4.2.4.4-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- 21437 third-party-advisory
- ncompress-decompress-underflow(28315) vdb-entry
- GLSA-200610-03 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SR:2006:020 vendor-advisory
- MDKSA-2006:140 vendor-advisory
- 22296 third-party-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:9373 vdb-entry signature
- 19455 vdb-entry
- http://downloads.avaya.com/css/P8/documents/100158840
- http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=141728
- 21434 third-party-advisory
- DSA-1149 vendor-advisory
- 21467 third-party-advisory
- http://support.avaya.com/elmodocs2/security/ASA-2006-226.htm
- RHSA-2006:0663 vendor-advisory
- ADV-2006-3234 vdb-entry
- RHSA-2012:0810 vendor-advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=728536
- 22377 third-party-advisory
- 21427 third-party-advisory
- 1016836 vdb-entry
- 22036 third-party-advisory
- 21880 third-party-advisory
- MDVSA-2012:129 vendor-advisory