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GraphvizApplication

CVE-2014-1236

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-01-10
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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
Stack-based buffer overflow in the chkNum function in lib/cgraph/scan.l in Graphviz 2.34.0 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via vectors related to a "badly formed number" and a "long digit list."

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

Stack-based buffer overflow in Graphviz 2.34.0's chkNum function within lib/cgraph/scan.l (the lexer). The vulnerability triggers when parsing badly formed numbers with excessively long digit lists, causing a buffer overflow on the stack. With a CVSS score of 10, this typically allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via the overflow.

MitigationUpdate Graphviz to a version that patches this vulnerability in the scanner/lexer. Implement input validation for numeric strings before passing to chkNum to limit digit list length and reject malformed input.

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
GraphvizApplication
Affected:= 2.34.0

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/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 Graphviz installation and version
    Run 'graphviz --version' or check the package manager for installed graphviz package version (e.g., dpkg -l graphviz, rpm -qa graphviz, or brew list graphviz)
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.34.0
  2. Locate the vulnerable library component
    Search for lib/cgraph/scan.l or the compiled lexer file (scan.c/scan.o) within the Graphviz installation directory, typically found in /usr/lib/graphviz or the prefix where Graphviz was installed
    Affected if The chkNum function in the lexer source (scan.l) or compiled binary exists in the installed version, indicating the vulnerable code path is present
  3. Verify the scanner/lexer is in use
    Inspect if Graphviz is processing input files (DOT language files) that could contain numeric data. Check if tools like dot, neato, or other Graphviz layout engines are being invoked to parse DOT files
    Affected if Graphviz layout engines or any tool that parses DOT language input is being used, as the lexer processes numeric values during DOT file parsing
  4. Check for user-supplied or untrusted DOT input
    Review whether the Graphviz installation processes DOT files from untrusted sources, network input, or user-provided content that could contain maliciously crafted numeric values with excessively long digit sequences
    Affected if Graphviz processes DOT input from untrusted or external sources without prior sanitization of numeric values

A user is affected if Graphviz version 2.34.0 is installed AND the DOT language scanner/lexer processes untrusted input containing malformed numbers with excessively long digit lists.

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
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch github.com →
Interim mitigation

Update Graphviz to a version that patches this vulnerability in the scanner/lexer. Implement input validation for numeric strings before passing to chkNum to limit digit list length and reject malformed input.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Graphviz 2.35.0 or later stable release

  1. 1. Navigate to the Graphviz GitHub repository or your local Graphviz installation
  2. 2. Review the fix commit at https://github.com/ellson/graphviz/commit/1d1bdec6318746f6f19f245db589eddc887ae8ff to understand the code change in lib/cgraph/scan.l
  3. 3. Check the chkNum function implementation to confirm the buffer overflow vulnerability is addressed
  4. 4. Identify the next stable release after version 2.34.0 that includes this fix (typically versions 2.35.0 or later)
  5. 5. Download and install the fixed version from the official Graphviz website or package manager
  6. 6. Verify the installation by running `dot -V` to confirm the version number

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

Fix this in Graphviz Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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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-2014-1236 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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