Description
The vfprintf function in stdio-common/vfprintf.c in GNU C Library (aka glibc) 2.5, 2.12, and probably other versions does not "properly restrict the use of" the alloca function when allocating the SPECS array, which allows context-dependent attackers to bypass the FORTIFY_SOURCE format-string protection mechanism and cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted format string using positional parameters and a large number of format specifiers, a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-3404 and CVE-2012-3405.
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 | 2.19-14 | — |
| Debian 13 | glibc | 2.19-14 | — |
| Debian 12 | glibc | 2.19-14 | — |
| Debian 7 | eglibc | 2.13-38+deb7u8 | DSA-3169-1 |
| Debian 6.0 | eglibc | 2.11.3-4+deb6u5 | DLA-165-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | nscd +7 | 2.12-1.80.el6_3.3 | RHSA-2012:1098 |
| RHEL 6 | rhev-hypervisor6 | 6.3-20120815.0.el6_3 | RHSA-2012:1200 |
| RHEL 5 | nscd +6 | 2.5-81.el5_8.4 | RHSA-2012:1097 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | glibc | 2.24-2.3 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10154-1 |
Advisories 6
- RHSA-2012:1200 Red Hat Security Advisory: rhev-hypervisor6 security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
- RHSA-2012:1097 Red Hat Security Advisory: glibc security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
- RHSA-2012:1098 Red Hat Security Advisory: glibc security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
- DSA-3169-1 eglibc - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-165-1 eglibc - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10154-1 glibc-2.24-2.3 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- RHSA-2012:1200 vendor-advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=826943
- RHSA-2012:1097 vendor-advisory
- GLSA-201503-04 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2012:1098 vendor-advisory
- USN-1589-1 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2012:1185 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20120711 Re: CVE request: glibc formatted printing vulnerabilities mailing-list
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/attachment.cgi?id=594722