Critical Buffer Overflow in Pango Package: CVE-2019-1010238
Summary
ALPINE-CVE-2019-1010238: Gnome Pango 1.42 and later is affected by: Buffer Overflow. Affects pango versions < 1.42.4-r2. Fixed in 1.42.4-r2. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
Pango is a library for laying out and rendering text, with an emphasis on internationalization. It is widely used in various applications to handle text rendering in a consistent manner across different languages and scripts. The library provides a powerful API for developers to manage text and its attributes, making it essential for applications that require text display. However, Pango versions 1.42 and later are susceptible to a severe buffer overflow vulnerability, which can lead to critical security issues.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2019-1010238, arises from a buffer overflow in the function pango_log2vis_get_embedding_levels. This issue occurs when the application passes invalid UTF-8 strings to functions like pango_itemize. The flaw allows attackers to exploit the heap-based buffer overflow, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. The severity of this vulnerability is underscored by its CVSS score of 9.8, indicating a critical risk to affected systems.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
1.42.4-r2
This is the first release that contains the fix.
sudo apk add --upgrade pangoTip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary measure, users can validate UTF-8 strings before passing them to Pango functions to mitigate the risk of triggering the buffer overflow. Implementing input validation can help prevent the exploitation of this vulnerability until a full update can be applied.
Conclusion
CVE-2019-1010238 represents a significant security risk due to a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Pango library. It is crucial for users to update to the latest patched versions to safeguard their applications. Additionally, implementing input validation can serve as a temporary workaround to mitigate potential threats.
See every vulnerability recorded for pango →
FAQ
CVE-2019-1010238 is a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in the Pango library that can lead to arbitrary code execution when invalid UTF-8 strings are processed.
Pango versions 1.42 and later are affected by this vulnerability, with specific patches available for various Alpine Linux versions.
You can use Vulert, which monitors open-source vulnerabilities in your software. By uploading your manifest file, you can check for vulnerabilities like CVE-2019-1010238 without needing to access the code.
The CVSS score for CVE-2019-1010238 is 9.8, indicating a critical level of risk associated with this vulnerability.
If an immediate update is not possible, implement input validation for UTF-8 strings to reduce the risk of exploitation until you can apply the necessary patches.
References
Related vulnerabilities
Recent vulnerabilities recorded for pango.
