CVE-2012-5667

Description

Multiple integer overflows in GNU Grep before 2.11 might allow context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving a long input line that triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.

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	grep	2.11-1	—
Debian 13	grep	2.11-1	—
Debian 12	grep	2.11-1	—

Red Hat

Security tracker ↗

Release	Package	Fixed in	Advisory
RHEL 6	grep	2.20-3.el6	RHSA-2015:1447

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.

Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.

Exploit-DB 1

Grep < 2.11 - Integer Overflow Crash (PoC) EDB-23779 · dos · Dec 31, 2012 · verified

Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.

Advisories 1

RHSA-2015:1447 Red Hat Security Advisory: grep security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026

Multiple integer overflows in GNU Grep before 2.11 might allow context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving …