CVE-2017-12482
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 ledger::parse_date_mask_routine function in times.cc in Ledger 3.1.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack-based buffer overflow and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted file.
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 exists in the ledger::parse_date_mask_routine function in times.cc in Ledger 3.1.1. When parsing a specially crafted data file, the function fails to properly validate input length before copying data to a stack-allocated buffer, allowing remote attackers to overwrite stack memory and potentially execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service.
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= 3.1.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Verify Ledger CLI is installedRun 'ledger --version' or check your package manager for the ledger packageAffected if Ledger CLI is not installed, this CVE does not apply
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Confirm installed version is 3.1.1Compare the output of 'ledger --version' to the affected version 3.1.1 exactlyAffected if The installed version is exactly 3.1.1, making it vulnerable
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Locate the vulnerable times.cc componentCheck for the presence of the ledger times.cc source file or binary containing parse_date_mask_routine function - typically in /usr/src/ledger or the compiled ledger binaryAffected if The parse_date_mask_routine function is present in the installed version 3.1.1
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Determine if data files are parsedReview whether Ledger is used to parse data files (via ledgerrc or command-line file arguments) that could contain date masksAffected if Users parse data files using Ledger, which invokes the parse_date_mask_routine function on date-formatted content
A user is affected if Ledger CLI version 3.1.1 is installed and processes data files containing date mask data that triggers the parse_date_mask_routine function in times.cc.
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 dataDo not open untrusted or unverified Ledger data files. Apply vendor patches when released. Implement input length validation in the parse_date_mask_routine function before buffer operations.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,568.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-12482 — 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-2017-12482 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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