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Home >> Browse Vulnerability Assessment Database >> Gentoo Local Security Checks >> [GLSA-200510-15] Lynx: Buffer overflow in NNTP processing

Vulnerability Assessment Details

[GLSA-200510-15] Lynx: Buffer overflow in NNTP processing

Vulnerability Assessment Summary
Lynx: Buffer overflow in NNTP processing

Detailed Explanation for this Vulnerability Assessment
The remote host is affected by the vulnerability described in GLSA-200510-15
(Lynx: Buffer overflow in NNTP processing)

When accessing a NNTP URL, Lynx connects to a NNTP server and
retrieves information about the available articles in the target
newsgroup. Ulf Harnhammar discovered a buffer overflow in a function
that handles the escaping of special characters.

Impact

A possible hacker could setup a malicious NNTP server and entice a user
to access it using Lynx (either by creating NNTP links on a web page or
by forcing a redirect for Lynx users). The data returned by the NNTP
server would trigger the buffer overflow and execute arbitrary code
with the rights of the user running Lynx.

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time.

References:
http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2005-3120

Solution:
All Lynx users should upgrade to the latest version:
# emerge --sync
# emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=www-client/lynx-2.8.5-r1"

Network Security Threat Level: Medium

Networks Security ID:

Vulnerability Assessment Copyright: (C) 2005 Michel Arboi

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