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FreetypeApplication

CVE-2010-3311

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-01-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.3.12 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Integer overflow in base/ftstream.c in libXft (aka the X FreeType library) in FreeType before 2.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted Compact Font Format (CFF) font file that triggers a heap-based buffer overflow, related to an "input stream position error" issue, a different vulnerability than CVE-2010-1797.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Integer overflow in base/ftstream.c in libXft (FreeType library) allows remote attackers to cause a heap-based buffer overflow via crafted CFF (Compact Font Format) font files, potentially enabling code execution.

MitigationUpdate FreeType to version 2.4 or later to patch the integer overflow; until then, avoid processing untrusted CFF font files in applications using libXft.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
FreetypeApplication
Affected:<= 2.3.12= 1.3.1= 2.0.6= 2.0.9= 2.1= 2.1.3= 2.1.4= 2.1.5= 2.1.6= 2.1.7= 2.1.8= 2.1.9

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify FreeType library version
    Run `pkg-config --modversion freetype2` or check the library file with `dpkg -l | grep freetype` (Debian) or `rpm -q freetype` (RHEL). Also examine /usr/include/freetype2/freetype/freetype.h for the FREETYPE_VERSION macro.
    Affected if Installed version matches one of the affected versions listed: <= 2.3.12, 1.3.1, 2.0.6, 2.0.9, 2.1, 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.1.5, 2.1.6, 2.1.7, 2.1.8, or 2.1.9.
  2. Locate CFF font files on the system
    Search for .cff or .otf (OpenType with CFF outlines) font files: `find / -name "*.cff" 2>/dev/null` and `find / -name "*.otf" 2>/dev/null`. Check common font directories like /usr/share/fonts/, ~/.fonts/, and application-specific font paths.
    Affected if CFF or OTF font files exist that could be processed by applications using libXft.
  3. Identify applications using libXft
    Check for processes or applications linked against libXft: `ldd $(which <application>) | grep -i xft` or inspect running processes that render fonts. Common users include Firefox, GTK applications, and font viewers.
    Affected if Applications using libXft are present and could process untrusted CFF font files.
  4. Verify libXft links to vulnerable FreeType
    Run `ldd /usr/lib/libXft.so*` or check which FreeType library libXft is linked against. Use `objdump -p /usr/lib/libXft.so* | grep NEEDED` to see dependencies.
    Affected if libXft is linked to a FreeType library version that matches the affected versions list.

You are affected if your system has FreeType version <= 2.3.12 or one of the specific affected versions (1.3.1, 2.0.6, 2.0.9, 2.1.x) AND applications using libXft can process CFF font files.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.3.12
Interim mitigation

Update FreeType to version 2.4 or later to patch the integer overflow; until then, avoid processing untrusted CFF font files in applications using libXft.

Recommended fix High confidence

FreeType 2.4.0 or later

  1. 1. Identify the FreeType library version currently installed on the system using: `pkg-config --modversion freetype2` or `freetype-config --version`
  2. 2. For systems using package managers, update to the fixed version: On Debian/Ubuntu: `sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install libfreetype6`
  3. 3. On Red Hat/Fedora/CentOS: `sudo yum update freetype` or `sudo dnf update freetype`
  4. 4. On SUSE: `sudo zypper update freetype2`
  5. 5. Verify the new version is installed: `freetype-config --version` - confirm it shows 2.4.0 or later
  6. 6. Restart any applications that use libXft or FreeType to ensure they load the updated library
  7. 7. If building from source, download FreeType 2.4.0 or later from https://www.freetype.org/download.html and compile with standard build tools
Caveat Minor API changes possible between 2.3.x and 2.4.x - test critical applications after upgrade; some older font rendering behavior may subtly change

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Freetype Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,420
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2010-3311 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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