GLSA 201405-27: LibYAML: Arbitrary code execution

Severity:normal
Title:LibYAML: Arbitrary code execution
Date:05/23/2014
Bugs: #505948
ID:201405-27

Synopsis

A vulnerability in LibYAML could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a Denial of Service condition.

Background

LibYAML is a YAML 1.1 parser and emitter written in C.

Affected packages

Package Vulnerable Unaffected Architecture(s)
dev-libs/libyaml < 0.1.6 >= 0.1.6 All supported architectures

Description

The yaml_parser_scan_uri_escapes() function does not properly expand strings passed as input, which can result in a heap-based buffer overflow.

Impact

An attacker could provide a specially-crafted YAML document, which, when parsed by LibYAML, could result in arbitrary code execution or cause the application to crash.

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time.

Resolution

All LibYAML users should upgrade to the latest version:

      # emerge --sync
      # emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=dev-libs/libyaml-0.1.6"
    

Packages which depend on this library may need to be recompiled. Tools such as revdep-rebuild may assist in identifying these packages.

References

Availability

This GLSA and any updates to it are available for viewing at the Gentoo Security Website: http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201405-27.xml

Concerns?

Security is a primary focus of Gentoo Linux and ensuring the confidentiality and security of our users machines is of utmost importance to us. Any security concerns should be addressed to security@gentoo.org or alternatively, you may file a bug at https://bugs.gentoo.org.

License

Copyright 2010 Gentoo Foundation, Inc; referenced text belongs to its owner(s). The contents of this document are licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution / Share Alike license.

Thank you!