CVE-2012-2091
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 · uneditedMultiple buffer overflows in FlightGear 2.6 and earlier and SimGear 2.6 and earlier allow user-assisted remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a (1) long string in a rotor tag of an aircraft xml model to the Rotor::getValueforFGSet function in src/FDM/YASim/Rotor.cpp or (2) a crafted UDP packet to the SGSocketUDP::read function in simgear/simgear/simgear/io/sg_socket_udp.cxx.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in FlightGear 2.6 and earlier and SimGear 2.6 and earlier with two attack vectors: (1) long string overflow in XML aircraft model rotor tags processed by Rotor::getValueforFGSet in src/FDM/YASim/Rotor.cpp, and (2) overflow from crafted UDP packets in SGSocketUDP::read in simgear/simgear/simgear/io/sg_socket_udp.cxx. Both allow denial of service and potential arbitrary code execution.
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<= 2.6.0= 1.9.1= 2.0.0<= 2.6.0= 1.9.1= 2.0.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed FlightGear versionRun 'flightgear --version' or check package manager for flightgear package versionAffected if Installed version is 2.6.0 or earlier, or specifically 1.9.1 or 2.0.0
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Identify installed SimGear versionCheck the SimGear library version installed on the system (package manager or libsimgear version)Affected if SimGear library version is 2.6.0 or earlier, or specifically 1.9.1 or 2.0.0
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Verify if loading custom aircraft models is permittedCheck FlightGear configuration or command-line options for aircraft model loading permissions (e.g., --fg-aircraft path, aircraft selector settings)Affected if Users can load custom or untrusted aircraft XML model files into FlightGear
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Verify if UDP network input is enabledCheck FlightGear network settings or running process for open UDP ports (e.g., netstat -anp | grep fg, or inspect --props-dir or --telnet input settings)Affected if FlightGear is listening on UDP ports or accepts incoming UDP network traffic from untrusted sources
You are affected if your FlightGear or SimGear version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND either custom aircraft XML models can be loaded OR UDP network input is accessible to untrusted sources.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedUpgrade to FlightGear/SimGear version beyond 2.6; if upgrade not feasible, restrict loading of untrusted aircraft XML models and filter untrusted UDP traffic to the FlightGear service.
FlightGear 2.8.0 (and corresponding SimGear 2.8.0) or later
- 1. Back up all custom aircraft, settings, and configuration files in your FlightGear installation directory
- 2. Uninstall the current version of FlightGear (2.6.0 or earlier) and SimGear
- 3. Download FlightGear 2.8.0 or later from the official FlightGear source (sourceforge.net/projects/flightgear)
- 4. Download the corresponding SimGear version (2.8.0 or later)
- 5. Install SimGear first, then FlightGear
- 6. Restore your custom aircraft and configuration files from the backup
- 7. Test the installation by running FlightGear and verifying the rotor functionality and UDP networking work correctly
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-2091 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-2091 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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