Vulnerability Assessment & Network Security Forums

If through a vulnerability assessment, a network security issue is detected for the vulnerability below, applying the appropriate security patches in a timely matter is very important. If you have detected that your system has already been compromised, following CERT's Network Security recovery document will assist with recommended steps for system recovery.

Home >> Browse Vulnerability Assessment Database >> Gentoo Local Security Checks >> [GLSA-200408-14] acroread: UUDecode filename buffer overflow

Vulnerability Assessment Details

[GLSA-200408-14] acroread: UUDecode filename buffer overflow

Vulnerability Assessment Summary
acroread: UUDecode filename buffer overflow

Detailed Explanation for this Vulnerability Assessment
The remote host is affected by the vulnerability described in GLSA-200408-14
(acroread: UUDecode filename buffer overflow)

acroread contains two errors in the handling of UUEncoded filenames. First,
it fails to check the length of a filename before copying it into a fixed
size buffer and, secondly, it fails to check for the backtick shell
metacharacter in the filename before executing a command with a shell.

Impact

By enticing a user to open a PDF with a specially crafted filename, an
attacker could execute arbitrary code or programs with the permissions of
the user running acroread.

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time. All users are encouraged to
upgrade to the latest available version of acroread.

References:
http://idefense.com/application/poi/display?id=124&type=vulnerabilities
http://idefense.com/application/poi/display?id=125&type=vulnerabilities

Solution:
All acroread users should upgrade to the latest version:
# emerge sync
# emerge -pv ">=app-text/acroread-5.09"
# emerge ">=app-text/acroread-5.09"

Network Security Threat Level: Medium

Networks Security ID:

Vulnerability Assessment Copyright: (C) 2005 Michel Arboi

Cables, Connectors