Description
catdoc through 0.95 contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the MULRK record handler of process_item() in src/xlsparse.c that allows attackers to read past the static rec buffer via a crafted end column. Attackers can supply a crafted .xls workbook or BIFF stream with a large endcol to xls2csv to disclose adjacent process memory as CSV cells or crash the process.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| catdoc | catdoc | ≤ 0.95 | — |
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 | catdoc | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 13 | catdoc | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | catdoc | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | catdoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | catdoc | No fix yet | — |
Show 5 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTS | catdoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | catdoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | catdoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | catdoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | catdoc | No fix yet | — |
References
- https://hackmd.io/@haind-pwn/catdoc-xls-mulrk-endcol-and-string-count-oob-read technical-description
- https://github.com/vbwagner/catdoc/blob/38a2807d22ce1a08bc39b94e9072a9f8f52cd86f/src/xlsparse.c#L314-L328 technical-description
- https://github.com/vbwagner/catdoc product
- VulnCheck Advisory: catdoc through 0.95 Out-of-Bounds Read in xls2csv MULRK Record Handler third-party-advisory