dbcve.org
Heap-based Buffer OverflowWeakness · CWE-122

CVE-2024-25262

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-29
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
texlive-bin commit c515e was discovered to contain heap buffer overflow via the function ttfLoadHDMX:ttfdump. This vulnerability allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via supplying a crafted TTF 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 confidence

Heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the ttfLoadHDMX function within the ttfdump utility of texlive-bin. The function fails to properly validate bounds when processing TTF font files, allowing attackers to trigger overflow via crafted files and cause denial of service.

MitigationAvoid processing untrusted or unverified TTF files with vulnerable versions of texlive-bin ttfdump. Apply vendor patches when available and consider input validation/fuzzing for font parsing code.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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 checks

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

  1. Check if texlive-bin is installed
    On Debian/Ubuntu: dpkg -l | grep texlive-bin. On RHEL/CentOS: rpm -qa | grep texlive-bin. On Fedora: dnf list installed | grep texlive-bin. On macOS with Homebrew: brew list | grep texlive. On Windows: Check Program Files or installed packages.
    Affected if texlive-bin package is found on the system
  2. Determine texlive-bin version
    On Debian/Ubuntu: dpkg -s texlive-bin. On RHEL/CentOS/Fedora: rpm -q texlive-bin. On macOS: brew info texlive-bin. Compare the version to any available patched versions from your distribution vendor.
    Affected if Version is unpatched and falls within the vulnerable range (check vendor security advisories for texlive-bin)
  3. Verify ttfdump utility is present
    Run which ttfdump or locate ttfdump to confirm the utility is installed. It is typically found in texlive-bin binaries or path.
    Affected if ttfdump executable exists on the system
  4. Confirm ttfdump was built with FreeType support
    Run ttfdump -h or ttfdump --help. The ttfLoadHDMX function is part of FreeType font parsing. Check if the utility can process TTF files.
    Affected if ttfdump can load and parse TTF font files
  5. Identify processes or workflows using ttfdump on TTF files
    Review any scripts, automation, or workflows that invoke ttfdump on font files. Check for cron jobs, CI/CD pipelines, or user scripts that process TTF files with ttfdump.
    Affected if ttfdump is used to process TTF font files, especially from untrusted sources

System is affected if texlive-bin with ttfdump utility is installed, the version is unpatched, and ttfdump is used to process TTF font files.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Avoid processing untrusted or unverified TTF files with vulnerable versions of texlive-bin ttfdump. Apply vendor patches when available and consider input validation/fuzzing for font parsing code.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

TeX Live 2024 or later (or latest stable release with security patches backported)

  1. 1. Identify the installed texlive-bin version using: dpkg -l | grep texlive-bin (Debian/Ubuntu) or rpm -qa | grep texlive-bin (RHEL/CentOS)
  2. 2. Check for available security updates: apt-get update && apt-cache policy texlive-bin (Debian/Ubuntu) or yum check-update texlive (RHEL/CentOS)
  3. 3. Apply security updates: apt-get install texlive-bin (Debian/Ubuntu) or yum update texlive (RHEL/CentOS)
  4. 4. Verify the update was applied and the vulnerable ttfdump utility is no longer exposed

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,820
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,512.

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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-2024-25262 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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