Description
jscript.c in Exuberant Ctags 5.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop and CPU and disk consumption) via a crafted JavaScript file.
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 | exuberant-ctags | 1:5.9~svn20110310-8 | — |
| Debian 13 | exuberant-ctags | 1:5.9~svn20110310-8 | — |
| Debian 12 | exuberant-ctags | 1:5.9~svn20110310-8 | — |
| Debian 7 | exuberant-ctags | 1:5.9~svn20110310-4+deb7u1 | DSA-3042-1 |
| Debian 6.0 | exuberant-ctags | 1:5.8-3squeeze2 | DLA-69-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | exuberant-ctags | 1:5.9~svn20110310-7ubuntu0.1 | USN-2371-1 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 SP1 | ctags | 5.8-7.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:2097-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 12 SP1 | ctags | 5.8-7.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:2097-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | ctags | 5.8-8.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10296-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
Show 14 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.16 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.15 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.14 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.13 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.12 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.11 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.10 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.9 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.8 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.7 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.6 | ctags | 5.8-r5 | — |
Advisories 5
- DLA-69-1 exuberant-ctags - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-3042-1 exuberant-ctags - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- USN-2371-1 exuberant-ctags vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10296-1 ctags-5.8-8.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2016:2097-1 Security update for ctags SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- http://advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2014-0415.html
- USN-2371-1 vendor-advisory
- DSA-3042 vendor-advisory
- https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=742605
- MDVSA-2015:178 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20140929 CVE request: exuberant-ctags: CPU/disk DoS on minified JavaScript file mailing-list
- http://sourceforge.net/p/ctags/code/791/