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Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2016-1526

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-02-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 38.5.1 or later.
See remediation →
88/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
The TtfUtil:LocaLookup function in TtfUtil.cpp in Libgraphite in Graphite 2 1.2.4, as used in Mozilla Firefox before 43.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x before 38.6.1, incorrectly validates a size value, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read and application crash) via a crafted Graphite smart 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

The TtfUtil:LocaLookup function in Libgraphite (Graphite 2 library) fails to properly validate size values when parsing Graphite smart font data, allowing attackers to trigger out-of-bounds memory reads via crafted fonts, potentially exposing sensitive information or causing denial of service through application crashes.

MitigationUpdate Firefox to version 43.0 or later (or ESR 38.6.1+), which includes the patched Graphite 2 library with proper size validation in the LocaLookup function.

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
Affected:= 7.0= 8.0
FirefoxWeb browser
Affected:= 38.0= 38.0.1= 38.0.5= 38.1.0= 38.1.1= 38.2.0= 38.2.1= 38.3.0= 38.4.0= 38.5.0= 38.5.1= 38.5.2
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 22= 23
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:<= 38.5.1
Graphite2Application
Affected:= 1.2.4

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Graphite2 library version
    On Debian: dpkg -l | grep graphite2 or apt-cache policy libgraphite2-0. On Fedora: rpm -qa | grep graphite2. On other systems: check for libgraphite2 library files and their version metadata.
    Affected if The installed Graphite2 library version is exactly 1.2.4, or the library version is unknown but originates from the affected 1.2.4 release.
  2. Check Firefox version
    Run firefox --version or access about:support in the browser to view the version number.
    Affected if Firefox version is 38.0, 38.0.1, 38.0.5, 38.1.0, 38.1.1, 38.2.0, 38.2.1, 38.3.0, 38.4.0, 38.5.0, 38.5.1, or 38.5.2 (all 38.x versions up to 38.5.2 are affected).
  3. Check Thunderbird version
    Run thunderbird --version or access about:support in Thunderbird.
    Affected if Thunderbird version is 38.5.1 or any earlier 38.x version (38.5.1 and below are affected).
  4. Check if Debian system package version is vulnerable
    On Debian 7 or 8: apt-cache policy libgraphite2-0 or dpkg -l libgraphite2-0 to see the installed version.
    Affected if The installed package version matches the vulnerable Debian releases (Debian 7.0 or 8.0) which ship the vulnerable Graphite2 library.
  5. Check if Fedora system package version is vulnerable
    On Fedora 22 or 23: rpm -qa | grep -i graphite to list installed graphite packages and their versions.
    Affected if The system runs Fedora 22 or 23 with the vulnerable Graphite2 library package installed.

A system is affected if it has Graphite2 library version 1.2.4 installed standalone, or runs Firefox 38.x (up to 38.5.2), Thunderbird 38.5.1 or earlier, or is running Debian 7/8 or Fedora 22/23 with vulnerable Graphite2 packages.

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 38.5.1
Interim mitigation

Update Firefox to version 43.0 or later (or ESR 38.6.1+), which includes the patched Graphite 2 library with proper size validation in the LocaLookup function.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2016-1526 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