Description
Heap-based buffer overflow in the Perl_repeatcpy function in util.c in Perl 5.12.x before 5.12.5, 5.14.x before 5.14.3, and 5.15.x before 15.15.5 allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via the 'x' string repeat operator.
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 | perl | 5.14.2-14 | — |
| Debian 13 | perl | 5.14.2-14 | — |
| Debian 12 | perl | 5.14.2-14 | — |
| Debian 6.0 | perl | 5.10.1-17squeeze4 | DSA-2586-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | perl +3 | 4:5.10.1-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Archive-Extract | 1:0.38-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Archive-Tar | 1.58-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-CGI | 3.51-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-CPAN | 1.9402-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-CPANPLUS | 0.88-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Compress-Raw-Zlib | 1:2.020-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Compress-Zlib +4 | 2.020-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Digest-SHA | 1:5.47-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-ExtUtils-CBuilder | 1:0.27-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-ExtUtils-Embed | 1.28-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-ExtUtils-MakeMaker | 6.55-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-ExtUtils-ParseXS | 1:2.2003.0-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-File-Fetch | 0.26-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-IO-Zlib | 1:1.09-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-IPC-Cmd | 1:0.56-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Locale-Maketext-Simple | 1:0.18-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Log-Message +2 | 1:0.02-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Log-Message-Simple | 0.04-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Module-Build | 1:0.3500-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Module-CoreList | 2.18-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Module-Load | 1:0.16-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Module-Load-Conditional | 0.30-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Module-Pluggable | 1:3.90-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Object-Accessor | 1:0.34-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Params-Check | 1:0.26-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Parse-CPAN-Meta | 1:1.40-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Pod-Escapes | 1:1.04-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Pod-Simple | 1:3.13-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Term-UI | 0.20-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Test-Harness | 3.17-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Test-Simple | 0.92-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Time-HiRes | 4:1.9721-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-Time-Piece | 1.15-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-core | 5.10.1-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-parent | 1:0.221-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 6 | perl-version | 3:0.77-130.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
| RHEL 5 | perl +1 | 4:5.8.8-40.el5_9 | RHSA-2013:0685 |
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2013:0685 Red Hat Security Advisory: perl security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 16, 2026
- DSA-2586-1 perl - several Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/ovmbulletinjul2016-3090546.html
- MDVSA-2013:113 vendor-advisory
- [perl.perl5.porters] 20121010 maint-5.12, maint-5.14, and CVE-2012-5195 mailing-list
- http://kb.juniper.net/InfoCenter/index?page=content&id=JSA10673
- https://wiki.mageia.org/en/Support/Advisories/MGASA-2012-0352
- 55314 third-party-advisory
- USN-1643-1 vendor-advisory
- DSA-2586 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20121026 Medium severity flaw with Perl 5 mailing-list
- http://perl5.git.perl.org/perl.git/commit/2709980d5a193ce6f3a16f0d19879a6560dcde44
- 56287 vdb-entry
- [oss-security] 20121027 Re: Medium severity flaw with Perl 5 mailing-list
- RHSA-2013:0685 vendor-advisory
- http://kb.juniper.net/InfoCenter/index?page=content&id=JSA10705
- 51457 third-party-advisory
- http://kb.juniper.net/InfoCenter/index?page=content&id=JSA10735