Description
Multiple integer overflows in the strfmon implementation in the GNU C Library (aka glibc or libc6) 2.10.1 and earlier allow context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption or application crash) via a crafted format string, as demonstrated by a crafted first argument to the money_format function in PHP, a related issue to CVE-2008-1391.
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 | glibc | 2.11.1-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | glibc | 2.11.1-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | glibc | 2.11.1-1 | — |
| Debian 5.0 | glibc | 2.7-18lenny4 | DSA-2058-1 |
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.
Exploit-DB 1
- GNU glibc 2.x - 'strfmon()' Integer Overflow EDB-33230 · dos · Sep 17, 2009 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 1
- DSA-2058-1 glibc - several vulnerabilities Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- MDVSA-2010:111 vendor-advisory
- GLSA-201011-01 vendor-advisory
- ADV-2010-1246 vdb-entry
- USN-944-1 vendor-advisory
- 36443 vdb-entry
- http://sources.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=10600
- 20090917 glibc x<=2.10.1 stdio/strfmon.c Multiple Vulnerabilities third-party-advisory
- 39900 third-party-advisory
- http://sourceware.org/git/?p=glibc.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=199eb0de8d673fb23aa127721054b4f1803d61f3
- gnuclibrary-strfmon-overflow(59242) vdb-entry
- MDVSA-2010:112 vendor-advisory
- DSA-2058 vendor-advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=524671