CVE-2017-5950
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 SingleDocParser::HandleNode function in yaml-cpp (aka LibYaml-C++) 0.5.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack consumption and application crash) via a crafted YAML 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 · high confidenceThe yaml-cpp library 0.5.3 contains a stack exhaustion vulnerability in SingleDocParser::HandleNode where recursive YAML node parsing lacks proper depth limiting. A specially crafted YAML file with deeply nested structures causes unbounded stack consumption, leading to denial of service via application crash.
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= 0.5.3CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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.
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Identify yaml-cpp library versionSearch for yaml-cpp headers or library files on the system. Check include/yaml_cpp/version.h for the YAML_CPP_VERSION macro, or use 'strings' on libyaml-cpp.so to find version strings like '0.5.3'Affected if The version string found is exactly 0.5.3 or falls within the 0.5.x range prior to 0.6.0
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Check application linking to yaml-cppUse 'ldd <application_binary>' or 'nm <application_binary> | grep yaml' to confirm the application links against libyaml-cpp.soAffected if The application is dynamically linked to yaml-cpp library and the library version is vulnerable
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Verify SingleDocParser::HandleNode usageInspect application source code for calls to YAML::Load, YAML::LoadFile, or similar parsing functions that invoke SingleDocParser::HandleNode for processing YAML documentsAffected if The application parses YAML documents using yaml-cpp functions that trigger the HandleNode code path
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Assess input trust boundaryDetermine whether the application processes YAML files from untrusted sources such as user uploads, network endpoints, or external configuration filesAffected if YAML input comes from untrusted or internet-facing sources that could contain maliciously nested documents
A system is affected if it runs an application using yaml-cpp version 0.5.3 (or any version before 0.6.0) to parse potentially untrusted or deeply nested YAML documents, enabling stack exhaustion via the SingleDocParser::HandleNode recursion vulnerability.
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 dataUpgrade yaml-cpp to a version containing the fix (0.6.0 or later), or implement explicit recursion depth limits in the HandleNode function to prevent stack exhaustion from maliciously nested YAML documents.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-5950 — 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-2017-5950 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
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