CVE-2005-3590

The getgrouplist function in the GNU C library (glibc) before version 2.3.5, when invoked with a zero argument, writes to the passed pointer even if the…

published April 10, 2019

CVSS
—
EPSS
2%
Percentile
81.3
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

⚠️ A tiny oversight in glibc's getgrouplist function can turn into a significant headache! When called with zero arguments, it writes to an array that should be empty, leading to a sneaky buffer overflow. 💥 Think of this like a chef attempting to serve a dish with an empty plate—they just keep piling ingredients without checking if there’s room! This oversight can spoil the entire meal, just like memory corruption can wreak havoc on your system. This buffer overflow allows attackers to potentially corrupt memory, which could lead to unpredictable behavior, crashes, or even unauthorized access to sensitive parts of the system. It's not an immediate disaster, but leave it unchecked, and you might be cooking up trouble down the line!

Put simply

Think of this like a chef attempting to serve a dish with an empty plate—they just keep piling ingredients without checking if there’s room! This oversight can spoil the entire meal, just like memory corruption can wreak havoc on your system. In glibc versions prior to 2.3.5, the getgrouplist function fails to respect array boundaries when invoked with a zero argument, allowing malicious input to overwrite critical memory areas. This can lead to serious stability and security issues.

What to do

This buffer overflow allows attackers to potentially corrupt memory, which could lead to unpredictable behavior, crashes, or even unauthorized access to sensitive parts of the system. It's not an immediate disaster, but leave it unchecked, and you might be cooking up trouble down the line! Update your glibc to version 2.3.5 or later to close this gap. Additionally, review your code to ensure proper checks are in place for array sizes when dealing with external input. Your future self will thank you! You've got this! Fixing this vulnerability is a breeze with the right steps. 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS
Not scored
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.02089 · 81.3th percentile
Published
2019-04-10T19:52Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 10 APR 19:52Z
    The getgrouplist function in the GNU C library (glibc) before version 2.3.5, when invoked with a zero argument, writes to the passed pointer even if the…
    cvelistv5