Description
The read_binary function in buffer.c in pgpdump before 0.30 allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop and CPU consumption) via crafted input, as demonstrated by the \xa3\x03 string.
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 | pgpdump | 0.31-0.1 | — |
| Debian 13 | pgpdump | 0.31-0.1 | — |
| Debian 12 | pgpdump | 0.31-0.1 | — |
| Debian 7 | pgpdump | 0.27-1+deb7u1 | DLA-768-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | pgpdump | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | pgpdump | 0.28-1+deb8u1build0.14.04.1 | — |
Advisories 1
- DLA-768-1 pgpdump - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 20160418 CVE-2016-4021: pgpdump 0.29 - Endless loop parsing specially crafted input (SYSS-2016-030) mailing-list
- https://www.syss.de/fileadmin/dokumente/Publikationen/Advisories/SYSS-2016-030.txt
- FEDORA-2016-5733ad20f5 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2016-8f4b54b005 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2016-6fd7a31d36 vendor-advisory
- https://github.com/kazu-yamamoto/pgpdump/pull/16