Description
An issue was discovered in cairo.trm in Gnuplot 5.2.5. This issue allows an attacker to conduct a buffer overflow with an arbitrary amount of data in the cairotrm_options function. This flaw is caused by a missing size check of an argument passed to the "set font" function. This issue occurs when the Gnuplot pngcairo terminal is used as a backend.
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 | gnuplot | 5.4.0+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | gnuplot | 5.4.0+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | gnuplot | 5.4.0+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 8 | gnuplot | 4.6.6-2+deb8u1 | DLA-1597-1 |
| Debian 8 | gnuplot5 | 5.0.0~rc+dfsg2-1+deb8u1 | DLA-1595-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | gnuplot | 4.6.6-3ubuntu0.1 | USN-4541-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | gnuplot5 | No fix yet | — |
Show 4 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | gnuplot | 5.2.8+dfsg1-2ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-7589-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | gnuplot | 5.2.2+dfsg1-2ubuntu1+esm1 | USN-7589-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | gnuplot | 4.6.6-3ubuntu0.1+esm1 | USN-7589-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | gnuplot | 4.6.4-2ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-7589-1 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 | gnuplot | 5.2.2-3.3.29 | SUSE-SU-2019:0904-1 |
| SLES 12 SP5 | gnuplot | 4.6.5-3.3.74 | SUSE-SU-2020:1660-1 |
| SLES 12 SP4 | gnuplot | 4.6.5-3.3.74 | SUSE-SU-2020:1660-1 |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 12 SP5 | gnuplot | 4.6.5-3.3.74 | SUSE-SU-2020:1660-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP4 | gnuplot | 4.6.5-3.3.74 | SUSE-SU-2020:1660-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | gnuplot | 5.4.2-1.3 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10800-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.0 | gnuplot | 5.2.2-lp150.3.3.1 | openSUSE-SU-2019:1216-1 |
Advisories 8
- USN-7589-1 gnuplot vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Jun 25, 2026
- USN-4541-1 gnuplot vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 27, 2026
- DLA-1597-1 gnuplot - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-1595-1 gnuplot5 - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1216-1 Security update for gnuplot SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10800-1 gnuplot-5.4.2-1.3 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2019:0904-1 Security update for gnuplot SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2020:1660-1 Security update for gnuplot SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- https://sourceforge.net/p/gnuplot/gnuplot-main/ci/d5020716834582b20a5e12cdd49f39ee4f9dd949/
- [debian-lts-announce] 20181126 [SECURITY] [DLA 1597-1] gnuplot security update mailing-list
- https://sourceforge.net/p/gnuplot/bugs/2089/
- [debian-lts-announce] 20181125 [SECURITY] [DLA 1595-1] gnuplot5 security update mailing-list
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1216 vendor-advisory
- USN-4541-1 vendor-advisory