CVE-2019-19905 : What You Need to Know

NetHack versions prior to 3.6.4 are vulnerable to a buffer overflow issue when reading long lines from configuration files.

Understanding CVE-2019-19905

NetHack 3.6.x before 3.6.4 is prone to a buffer overflow vulnerability due to reading excessively long lines from configuration files.

What is CVE-2019-19905?

The vulnerability affects systems with NetHack installed with suid/sgid permissions and shared systems allowing user configuration file uploads.

The Impact of CVE-2019-19905

Attackers can exploit this flaw to execute arbitrary code or crash the application, potentially leading to a denial of service.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-19905

NetHack Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

Vulnerability Description

NetHack versions prior to 3.6.4 are susceptible to a buffer overflow when processing long lines from configuration files.

Affected Systems and Versions

NetHack 3.6.x before 3.6.4

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can craft malicious configuration files with excessively long lines to trigger the buffer overflow.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting Against CVE-2019-19905

Immediate Steps to Take

Update NetHack to version 3.6.4 or later to mitigate the vulnerability.
Avoid running NetHack with elevated permissions unless necessary.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor for NetHack security advisories and apply patches promptly.
Restrict access to configuration files to trusted users only.
Consider disabling suid/sgid permissions for NetHack if not required.

Patching and Updates

Apply the official patch provided by NetHack to address the buffer overflow vulnerability.