Description
HarfBuzz is a text shaping engine. Prior to version 12.3.0, a null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the SubtableUnicodesCache::create function located in src/hb-ot-cmap-table.hh. The function fails to check if hb_malloc returns NULL before using placement new to construct an object at the returned pointer address. When hb_malloc fails to allocate memory (which can occur in low-memory conditions or when using custom allocators that simulate allocation failures), it returns NULL. The code then attempts to call the constructor on this null pointer using placement new syntax, resulting in undefined behavior and a Segmentation Fault. This issue has been patched in version 12.3.0.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| harfbuzz | harfbuzz | < 12.3.0 | — |
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 | harfbuzz | 12.3.0-4 | — |
| Debian 13 | harfbuzz | 10.2.0-1+deb13u1 | — |
| Debian 12 | harfbuzz | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 25.10 | harfbuzz | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | harfbuzz | No fix yet | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images 1 | harfbuzz +6 | 14.1.0-2.hum1 | RHSA-2026:7701 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP7 | harfbuzz | 8.3.0-150600.3.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:0287-1 |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | harfbuzz | 11.4.5-160000.1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:20922-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | harfbuzz | 11.4.5-160000.1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:20922-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.2 | harfbuzz | 11.4.5-160000.1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:20762-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | harfbuzz | 12.3.0-2.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:10065-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | harfbuzz | 11.4.5-160000.1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:20409-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | harfbuzz | 8.3.0-150600.3.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:0287-1 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | firefox | 140.7.0-1.amzn2023.0.3 | ALAS2023-2026-1435 |
| Amazon Linux 2 | thunderbird | 140.7.1-1.amzn2.0.2 | ALAS2-2026-3171 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | harfbuzz | 8.3.0-4 | — |
Advisories 8
- RHSA-2026:7701 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 6, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:20922-1 Security update for harfbuzz SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Apr 2, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:20409-1 Security update for harfbuzz SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 29, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:20762-1 Security update for harfbuzz SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 25, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:10065-1 harfbuzz-devel-12.3.0-2.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:0287-1 Security update for harfbuzz SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
- ALAS2-2026-3171 Moderate: thunderbird security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Feb 18, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1435 Moderate: firefox security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Feb 18, 2026