Critical Security Flaw in Capstone Disassembly Framework: Memory Corruption and Buffer Overflow
Summary
ALSA-2026:4898: Important: capstone security update. Affects capstone versions < 4.0.2-11.el9_7. Fixed in 4.0.2-11.el9_7. 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
Capstone is a widely used disassembly framework designed for binary analysis and reverse engineering, particularly within the security community. It provides a powerful API for developers to analyze binary code, making it a crucial tool for security researchers and software developers. However, recent vulnerabilities have raised concerns about its security, particularly regarding memory corruption and buffer overflow issues that could lead to severe consequences.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerabilities identified in Capstone include a memory corruption issue due to unchecked vsnprintf return (CVE-2025-68114) and a heap buffer overflow via the skipdata callback, which could allow for denial of service or arbitrary code execution (CVE-2025-67873). These vulnerabilities stem from improper handling of memory operations, which can be exploited by attackers to execute malicious code or crash the application, posing significant risks to systems utilizing Capstone.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
4.0.2-11.el9_7
This is the first release that contains the fix.
sudo dnf update capstoneTip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary measure, you can restrict the use of the affected features in Capstone until the update is applied. However, the best course of action is to update to the patched version as soon as possible to eliminate the vulnerabilities completely.
Conclusion
The vulnerabilities in the Capstone disassembly framework present serious security risks that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. It is crucial for users to update to the latest patched version to protect their systems. Utilizing tools like Vulert can help monitor and alert for such vulnerabilities in real-time, ensuring better security practices.
See every vulnerability recorded for capstone →
FAQ
The main vulnerabilities include memory corruption due to unchecked vsnprintf return and a heap buffer overflow that can lead to denial of service or arbitrary code execution.
You can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software. By utilizing the Vulert playground, you can check if your application is affected without any signup.
Exploiting these vulnerabilities can lead to application crashes, unauthorized access, and execution of malicious code, posing significant risks to system integrity.
Yes, a patch is available in version 4.0.2-11.el9_7 of the affected packages. It is recommended to update to this version to mitigate the vulnerabilities.
If an immediate update is not possible, consider restricting the use of the affected features in Capstone until you can apply the patch.
Related vulnerabilities
Recent vulnerabilities recorded for capstone.
