Description
The findnext function in decompose.c in potrace 1.13 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (invalid memory access and crash) via a crafted BMP image.
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 | potrace | 1.13-3 | — |
| Debian 13 | potrace | 1.13-3 | — |
| Debian 12 | potrace | 1.13-3 | — |
| Debian 7 | potrace | 1.10-1+deb7u2 | DLA-889-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | potrace | No fix yet | — |
Advisories 1
- DLA-889-1 potrace - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 93470 vdb-entry
- [oss-security] 20161008 potrace: invalid memory access in findnext (decompose.c) mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20161015 Re: potrace: invalid memory access in findnext (decompose.c) mailing-list
- https://blogs.gentoo.org/ago/2016/08/29/potrace-invalid-memory-access-in-findnext-decompose-c/