Description
Freeciv21 is a free open source, turn-based, empire-building strategy game. Versions prior to 3.1.1 crash with a stack overflow when receiving specially-crafted packets. A remote attacker can use this to take down any public server. A malicious server can use this to crash the game on the player's machine. Authentication is not needed and, by default, logs do not contain any useful information. All users should upgrade to Freeciv21 version 3.1.1. Running the server behind a firewall can help mitigate the issue for non-public servers. For local games, Freeciv21 restricts connections to the current user and is therefore not affected.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| longturn | freeciv21 | < 3.1.1 | — |
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 | freeciv | 3.2.4+ds-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | freeciv | 3.1.4+ds-2+deb13u1 | DSA-6173-1 |
| Debian 12 | freeciv | 3.0.6-1+deb12u1 | DSA-6173-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 25.10 | freeciv | No fix yet | — |
Show 5 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTS | freeciv | 3.1.0+ds-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8754-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | freeciv | 2.6.6-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8754-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | freeciv | 2.6.2-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8754-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | freeciv | 2.5.10-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8754-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | freeciv | 2.5.3-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8754-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | freeciv | 3.2.4-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:10401-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | freeciv | 3.2.4-bp160.1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:20423-1 |
Advisories 4
- USN-8754-1 freeciv vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Sep 14, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:20423-1 Security update for freeciv SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 29, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:10401-1 freeciv-3.2.4-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
- DSA-6173-1 freeciv - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 21, 2026