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FreetypeApplication

CVE-2010-3814

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-11-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.4.3 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Heap-based buffer overflow in the Ins_SHZ function in ttinterp.c in FreeType 2.4.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted SHZ bytecode instruction, related to TrueType opcodes, as demonstrated by a PDF document with a crafted embedded font.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow in FreeType's TrueType bytecode interpreter (Ins_SHZ function in ttinterp.c) allows remote code execution or denial of service via a crafted SHZ instruction embedded in malicious TrueType fonts, commonly delivered through PDF documents with crafted embedded fonts.

MitigationUpgrade FreeType to version 2.4.4 or later to patch the vulnerability; restrict or sanitize untrusted PDF documents and font files from unknown sources until patching is complete.

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:<= 2.4.3= 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
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

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

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. Determine installed FreeType library version
    Run `freetype-config --version` or `pkg-config --modversion freetype2` to retrieve the version of the FreeType library installed on the system
    Affected if The version returned is 2.4.3 or lower, or matches any of these: 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. Verify if TrueType bytecode interpreter is enabled
    Check the FreeType build configuration by examining the compiled library or using FT_Property_Get to query the bytecode interpreter setting; also look for compile-time flags such as TT_CONFIG_OPTION_GX_VAR_SUPPORT or TT_CONFIG_OPTION_BYTECODE_INTERPRETER in the build
    Affected if The bytecode interpreter is compiled and enabled in the FreeType build, making the Ins_SHZ function in ttinterp.c active when processing TrueType fonts
  3. Identify applications using FreeType to render untrusted fonts
    List applications that link to libfreetype (e.g., PDF viewers like poppler, Evince, or Okular; web browsers; font preview tools) by running `ldd` on binaries or checking package dependencies
    Affected if Applications that process potentially untrusted TrueType fonts (especially PDF viewers rendering documents with embedded fonts) are in use, and those applications load the vulnerable FreeType library version with bytecode interpreter enabled

The environment is affected if FreeType version 2.4.3 or lower (or specifically 1.3.1, 2.0.6, 2.0.9, 2.1, 2.1.3-2.1.9) is installed with the TrueType bytecode interpreter enabled, and the system processes untrusted TrueType fonts through applications that link the library.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.4.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade FreeType to version 2.4.4 or later to patch the vulnerability; restrict or sanitize untrusted PDF documents and font files from unknown sources until patching is complete.

Fix this in Freetype Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,648.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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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-2010-3814 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data