Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2014-9747
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 t42_parse_encoding function in type42/t42parse.c in FreeType before 2.5.4 does not properly update the current position for immediates-only mode, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a Type42 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 confidenceThe t42_parse_encoding function in FreeType's type42/t42parse.c fails to properly update the current parsing position when operating in immediates-only mode. When processing a specially crafted Type42 font, this causes an infinite loop, leading to denial of service via CPU exhaustion.
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
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 7.0= 8.0<= 2.5.3CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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.
-
Identify FreeType library versionRun 'freetype-config --version' or 'pkg-config --modversion freetype2' to retrieve the installed FreeType library versionAffected if version returned is 2.5.3 or lower
-
Check libfreetype package version on DebianRun 'dpkg -l libfreetype6' to see the installed package versionAffected if version shown is 2.5.3-1 or lower
-
Confirm Type42 font parsing is in useInspect application logs or code that loads fonts; look for .t42 or Type42 font file loadingAffected if application processes Type42 fonts (.t42 files) and uses FreeType for rendering
-
Verify immediates-only parsing modeReview application font handling code or configuration for flags that enable 'immediate mode' or 'T1_NO_CID' parsing in FreeTypeAffected if FreeType is configured to parse fonts in immediates-only mode (no CID-keyed font support)
-
Test for infinite loop conditionMonitor CPU usage when loading untrusted Type42 fonts; check for hanging process with 100% CPU on one coreAffected if CPU exhaustion occurs when processing a specially crafted Type42 font
You are affected if FreeType version is 2.5.3 or earlier AND your system processes Type42 fonts in immediates-only mode, causing potential denial of service from infinite loop.
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 dataUpdate FreeType library to version 2.5.4 or later to patch the vulnerable t42_parse_encoding function. Ensure any custom font processing code using FreeType is updated accordingly.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-9747 — 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-2014-9747 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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