CVE-2014-2978
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 · uneditedThe Dispatch_Write function in proxy/dispatcher/idirectfbsurface_dispatcher.c in DirectFB 1.4.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via the Voodoo interface, which triggers an out-of-bounds write.
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 · moderate confidenceDirectFB 1.4.4 contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the Dispatch_Write function within proxy/dispatcher/idirectfbsurface_dispatcher.c. The flaw is triggered through the Voodoo interface and allows remote attackers to crash the application (denial of service) and potentially achieve 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= 1.4.4= 13.1= 13.2= 12= 12= 12= 12CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify DirectFB versionRun 'rpm -qi directfb' or 'dpkg -l directfb' to see the installed version packageAffected if Version is 1.4.4 exactly
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Verify vulnerable dispatcher component existsCheck if file proxy/dispatcher/idirectfbsurface_dispatcher.c exists in the DirectFB source or installationAffected if The file is present in a DirectFB 1.4.4 installation
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Determine if Voodoo interface is enabledInspect DirectFB configuration files (usually in /etc/directfbrc or /usr/share/directfb/default/system.conf) for Voodoo-related settings such as 'voodoo' or 'voodoo-enable' optionsAffected if Voodoo interface is explicitly enabled in the configuration
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Check for SUSE/OpenSUSE specific DirectFB packagesRun 'rpm -qa | grep -i directfb' to list all DirectFB-related packages installed on SUSE systemsAffected if Any directfb package is installed on SUSE 12, OpenSUSE 13.1, or OpenSUSE 13.2 systems
A system is affected if DirectFB 1.4.4 is installed with the Voodoo interface enabled, or if any DirectFB package is present on the listed SUSE/OpenSUSE versions without corresponding patches.
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.
From vendor dataApply any available patches for DirectFB 1.4.4. If no patch exists, consider disabling or restricting access to the Voodoo interface if not required, and isolate DirectFB applications from untrusted network sources.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-2978 — 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-2014-2978 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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