Servers and applications
CVE-2012-3406
The vfprintf function in stdio-common/vfprintf.c in GNU C Library (aka glibc) 2.5, 2.12, and probably other versions does not "properly restrict the use of" the alloca function when allocating the SPECS array, which allows context-dependent attackers to bypass the FORTIFY_SOURCE format-string protection mechanism and cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a…
- Severity
- Medium 6.8
- Published
- 10 Feb 2014
- Last changed
- 16 Jun 2026
- Added to UpHeron
- 1 Nov 2026
- Exploit chance
- 3.2% in the next 30 daysHigher than 88% of CVEs. EPSS by FIRST, 12 Nov 2026
- Weakness
- CWE-264
- Attack
- Over the network · No login needed
- Attacker can
- Read some data · Change some data · Slow it down
- CVSS vector
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P- Sources
- NVD
Description
The vfprintf function in stdio-common/vfprintf.c in GNU C Library (aka glibc) 2.5, 2.12, and probably other versions does not "properly restrict the use of" the alloca function when allocating the SPECS array, which allows context-dependent attackers to bypass the FORTIFY_SOURCE format-string protection mechanism and cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted format string using positional parameters and a large number of format specifiers, a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-3404 and CVE-2012-3405.
Affected software
| Software | Affected versions |
|---|---|
GNU C LibraryServers and applications · cpe:a:gnu:glibc |
|