Description
Heap-based buffer overflow in the pango_ft2_font_render_box_glyph function in pango/pangoft2-render.c in libpango in Pango 1.28.3 and earlier, when the FreeType2 backend is enabled, allows user-assisted remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted font file, related to the glyph box for an FT_Bitmap object.
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 | pango1.0 | 1.28.3-1+squeeze1 | — |
| Debian 13 | pango1.0 | 1.28.3-1+squeeze1 | — |
| Debian 12 | pango1.0 | 1.28.3-1+squeeze1 | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | pango +1 | 1.28.1-3.el6_0.3 | RHSA-2011:0180 |
| RHEL 5 | pango +1 | 1.14.9-8.el5_6.2 | RHSA-2011:0180 |
| RHEL 4 | evolution28-pango +1 | 1.14.9-13.el4_10 | RHSA-2011:0180 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | pango | 1.40.3-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10578-1 |
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
- Pango Font Parsing - 'pangoft2-render.c' Heap Corruption EDB-35232 · remote · Jan 18, 2011 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2011:0180 Red Hat Security Advisory: pango security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10578-1 libpango-1_0-0-1.40.3-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=671122
- https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=639882
- https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pango1.0/+bug/696616
- 1024994 vdb-entry
- pango-pango-bo(64832) vdb-entry
- SUSE-SR:2011:005 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20110118 CVE request: heap corruption in libpango mailing-list
- 70596 vdb-entry
- 43100 third-party-advisory
- RHSA-2011:0180 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20110120 Re: CVE request: heap corruption in libpango mailing-list
- ADV-2011-0186 vdb-entry
- 42934 third-party-advisory
- 45842 vdb-entry
- ADV-2011-0238 vdb-entry