CVE-2017-10684
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 · uneditedIn ncurses 6.0, there is a stack-based buffer overflow in the fmt_entry function. A crafted input will lead to a remote arbitrary code execution attack.
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 confidenceA stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in ncurses version 6.0 within the fmt_entry function. The flaw allows a crafted input to trigger overflow of a stack-allocated buffer, potentially enabling 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= 6.0CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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.
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Identify ncurses library installationSearch for ncurses library files on the system using find, or query the package manager (dpkg -l | grep ncurses, rpm -qa | grep ncurses)Affected if ncurses library files are found on the system
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Determine the installed ncurses versionRun ncursesw6-config --version or check the library version directly from the shared object file (e.g., ls -la /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libncursesw.so.6*)Affected if The version returned is exactly 6.0
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Check for linked applicationsIdentify binaries that link against the ncurses library using ldd on executables or checking /proc/*/maps for mapped ncurses librariesAffected if Applications are dynamically linked to the ncurses 6.0 library
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Confirm the vulnerable code path is reachableThe fmt_entry function is used when processing terminfo/termcap entries. Verify if applications using ncurses parse external or user-supplied terminal definitionsAffected if Applications using ncurses 6.0 parse terminfo entries, making the fmt_entry function reachable with crafted input
The system is affected if ncurses version 6.0 is installed and applications using its fmt_entry function (terminfo parsing) can be triggered with external input.
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 ncurses to a patched version beyond 6.0 that addresses this vulnerability, or apply vendor-specific patches if available.
ncurses 6.1 or later (e.g., ncurses 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, or latest stable 6.x)
- 1. Identify all systems running ncurses version 6.0 in your environment
- 2. Check for ncurses library files: look for libncurses.so.6.0 or ncurses-6.0 packages
- 3. Verify applications linked against the vulnerable ncurses 6.0 library
- 4. Upgrade ncurses to version 6.1 or later by using your system's package manager (e.g., yum, apt, dnf, zypper)
- 5. Rebuild any statically-linked applications that were compiled against ncurses 6.0
- 6. Restart services or reboot systems to ensure the new library is loaded
- 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the ncurses version (e.g., ldd --version or dpkg -l | grep ncurses)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-10684 — 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-2017-10684 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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