ncurses: Stack-based buffer overflow in the _nc_write_entry function
Published Nov 22, 2017
7.8
HIGHCVSS 3.1
EPSS 2.40%
Description
Stack-based buffer overflow in the _nc_write_entry function in tinfo/write_entry.c in ncurses 6.0 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted terminfo file, as demonstrated by tic.
Affected products
No data.
- 6.0
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
ncurses
Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
ncurses
Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
ncurses
Will not fix
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | ncurses | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | ncurses | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | ncurses | Will not fix | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
Red Hat statement
Red Hat Product Security has rated this issue as having Low security impact. This issue is not currently planned to be addressed in future updates. For additional information, refer to the Issue Severity Classification: https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
No CISA SSVC assessment for this CVE yet.
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.
Score over time
2021–2026- EPSS v1
- EPSS v5
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
Percentile over time
- EPSS v1
- EPSS v5
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
Table of values (11 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | 2.40% (0.02403) | 83.44th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 2.38% (0.02383) | 81.67th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 0.25% (0.00251) | 46.49th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 12, 2024 | 0.36% (0.00364) | 73.25th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Feb 8, 2024 | 0.36% (0.00364) | 71.59th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Sep 3, 2023 | 0.36% (0.00364) | 68.89th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 0.32% (0.00315) | 65.56th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 1.69% (0.01688) | 76.04th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 4, 2022 | 1.64% (0.01642) | 52.70th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 3, 2022 | 3.14% (0.03139) | 65.22th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Apr 14, 2021 | 2.26% (0.02257) | 0.00th | v1 |
References (10)
- http://invisible-island.net/ncurses/NEWS.html#t20171125 x_refsource_CONFIRMVendor Advisory
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/145045/GNU-ncurses-6.0-tic-Denial-Of-Service.html x_refsource_MISCThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2017-16879 Vendor Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1517922 Issue Tracking
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r58af02e294bd07f487e2c64ffc0a29b837db5600e33b6e698b9d696b%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E mailing-listx_refsource_MLIST
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf4c02775860db415b4955778a131c2795223f61cb8c6a450893651e4%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E mailing-listx_refsource_MLIST
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-16879
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201804-13 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_GENTOOThird Party Advisory
- https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/viewAlert.x?alertId=57695 x_refsource_CONFIRMPermissions RequiredThird Party Advisory
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-16879
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.