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High

Security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVCVE: CVE-2018-17407

An issue was discovered in t1_check_unusual_charstring functions in writet1.c files in TeX Live before 2018-09-21. A buffer overflow in the handling of Type 1 fonts allows arbitrary code execution when a malicious font is loaded by one of the vulnerable tools: pdflatex, pdftex, dvips, or luatex.

Products
Not specified
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
Not specified
CVEs
CVE-2018-17407
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
31 Oct 2026, 12:25 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

CVE-2018-17407

core-osv · Original source

Published 23 Sept 2018, 21:29 UTC

An issue was discovered in t1_check_unusual_charstring functions in writet1.c files in TeX Live before 2018-09-21. A buffer overflow in the handling of Type 1 fonts allows arbitrary code execution when a malicious font is loaded by one of the vulnerable tools: pdflatex, pdftex, dvips, or luatex.

osv:CVE-2018-17407
Complete source record
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  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-17407",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "CVE-2018-17407",
    "summary": "An issue was discovered in t1_check_unusual_charstring functions in writet1.c files in TeX Live before 2018-09-21. A buffer overflow in the handling of Type 1 fonts allows arbitrary code execution when a malicious font is loaded by one of the vulnerable tools: pdflatex, pdftex, dvips, or luatex.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2018-17407",
    "products": [],
    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
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      "aliases": [
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      "metrics": [
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          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
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          "ranges": [
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              "type": "GIT",
              "events": [
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                  "introduced": "0"
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                {
                  "fixed": "6ed0077520e2b0da1fd060c7f88db7b2e6068e4c"
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                    "source": "REFERENCES_COMMIT"
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          "versions": [
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          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2018-17407.json",
            "vanir_signatures": [
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                  "function": "t1_check_unusual_charstring"
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                "target": {
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                "signature_type": "Function",
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      "modified": "2026-10-20T13:30:50.741701327Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/2018/msg00230.html",
        "https://usn.ubuntu.com/3788-1/",
        "https://usn.ubuntu.com/3788-2/",
        "https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4299",
        "https://github.com/TeX-Live/texlive-source/commit/6ed0077520e2b0da1fd060c7f88db7b2e6068e4c"
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              "cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*",
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            ],
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                    "introduced": "18.10"
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              "cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*"
            ],
            "vendor_product": "debian:debian_linux",
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                    "introduced": "9.0"
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                    "last_affected": "9.0"
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            ]
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    "related_cves": [
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        "value": "CVE-2018-17407",
        "evidence": "/id"
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    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 387772,
  "published_at": "2018-09-23T21:29:00.28+00:00"
}