Critical Buffer Overflow Vulnerability in Gnuplot Package
Summary
UBUNTU-CVE-2020-25969: gnuplot v5.5 was discovered to contain a buffer overflow via the function plotrequest(). Affects gnuplot versions 4.6.3-2 – 4.6.4-2ubuntu0.1~esm2. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
Gnuplot is a portable command-line driven graphing utility that is widely used for visualizing data in various formats. It supports numerous output formats and is utilized in scientific and engineering applications for generating plots and graphs. The package is known for its flexibility and extensive features, making it a popular choice among researchers and data analysts. However, it has been identified to have a critical vulnerability that could potentially lead to severe security risks.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2020-25969, is a buffer overflow issue discovered in Gnuplot version 5.5. It arises from improper handling of input in the function plotrequest(). This flaw allows an attacker to exploit the buffer overflow, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution, data corruption, or denial of service. The severity of this vulnerability is underscored by its CVSS score of 9.8, indicating a critical risk level that could have significant ramifications for systems utilizing the affected versions of Gnuplot.
How To Fix
No fixed version is published for this vulnerability.
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Workaround
As a temporary workaround, users can limit the input to the plotrequest() function to prevent exploitation. However, this is not a permanent solution and updating to a patched version is strongly recommended.
Conclusion
The buffer overflow vulnerability in Gnuplot (CVE-2020-25969) poses a critical risk to users of the software. It is essential to update to the latest patched versions to ensure system security. Users are encouraged to utilize tools like Vulert for ongoing monitoring of vulnerabilities in their applications.
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FAQ
CVE-2020-25969 is a critical buffer overflow vulnerability found in Gnuplot that can lead to arbitrary code execution.
You can check if your version is affected by using the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner, which allows you to monitor vulnerabilities without any signup.
If immediate updating is not possible, consider implementing input validation as a temporary workaround to mitigate the risk.
Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to arbitrary code execution, data corruption, or denial of service, posing significant risks to system integrity.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just a manifest file like package-lock.json.
References
Related vulnerabilities
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