Description
CFITSIO through 4.7.0 contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in ffgcls2() in getcols.c that trusts attacker-controlled heap descriptor lengths for variable-length string columns. Attackers can supply a crafted FITS file that overflows a fixed 28,800-byte stack buffer and the caller's string array, enabling arbitrary code execution.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| HEASARC | cfitsio | ≤ 4.7.0 | — |
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 | cfitsio | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 13 | cfitsio | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | cfitsio | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | cfitsio | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | cfitsio | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | cfitsio | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | cfitsio | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | cfitsio | No fix yet | — |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | cfitsio | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | cfitsio | No fix yet | — |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | cfitsio | No fix yet | — |
References
- https://gist.github.com/yure1432/98f15c7e8f48dc90ae65646f926aa176 technical-description exploit
- https://github.com/HEASARC/cfitsio/pull/184 patch issue-tracking
- https://github.com/HEASARC/cfitsio/commit/579792e0f85bff0c6733ad5ebdf54c3b5c188686 patch
- https://github.com/HEASARC/cfitsio product
- VulnCheck Advisory: CFITSIO through 4.7.0 Out-of-Bounds Write via ffgcls2 in getcols.c third-party-advisory