dbcve.org
LibgsfApplication · Gnome

CVE-2024-36474

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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
An integer overflow vulnerability exists in the Compound Document Binary File format parser of the GNOME Project G Structured File Library (libgsf) version v1.14.52. A specially crafted file can result in an integer overflow when processing the directory from the file that allows for an out-of-bounds index to be used when reading and writing to an array. This can lead to arbitrary code execution. An attacker can provide a malicious file to trigger this vulnerability.

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

A high-severity integer overflow vulnerability exists in libgsf v1.14.52's Compound Document Binary File (OLE/CFBF) parser. When processing maliciously crafted directory structures, an integer overflow allows an out-of-bounds array index to be used, leading to arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate libgsf to the latest patched version. Until then, avoid opening untrusted or unknown Compound Document files (.doc, .xls, .ppt legacy formats) with applications using libgsf.

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
LibgsfApplication
Affected:= 1.14.52

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Check if libgsf is installed
    Run 'pkg-config --modversion libgsf' on Linux, or check installed packages via 'rpm -q libgsf' (RHEL/Fedora) or 'dpkg -l libgsf' (Debian/Ubuntu)
    Affected if libgsf is present on the system
  2. Verify the installed version is 1.14.52
    Compare the version output from the previous step to the affected version 1.14.52
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.14.52
  3. Identify applications using libgsf
    Search for binaries linked against libgsf using 'ldd' or check package dependencies for gnumeric, abiword, or other office applications that depend on libgsf
    Affected if Applications that handle Compound Document files (legacy .doc, .xls, .ppt) are in use
  4. Determine if OLE/CFBF file processing is enabled
    Check if users have the capability to open or process legacy Office files through applications that depend on libgsf; inspect file association configurations
    Affected if Applications using libgsf can open or parse OLE/CFBF-based legacy Office documents

You are affected if libgsf version 1.14.52 is installed AND applications using libgsf are used to process legacy Compound Document files (.doc, .xls, .ppt).

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

Update libgsf to the latest patched version. Until then, avoid opening untrusted or unknown Compound Document files (.doc, .xls, .ppt legacy formats) with applications using libgsf.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

libgsf >= 1.14.53

  1. 1. Identify all systems and applications that depend on libgsf version 1.14.52
  2. 2. Upgrade libgsf to the latest stable version (1.14.53 or later) using your distribution's package manager or by compiling from source
  3. 3. For Debian/Ubuntu: apt-get update && apt-get install libgsf-1-114 (or apt-get upgrade libgsf)
  4. 4. For RHEL/CentOS: yum update libgsf
  5. 5. For macOS with Homebrew: brew upgrade libgsf
  6. 6. Verify the installed version matches a fixed release: gsflib --version or rpm -q libgsf
  7. 7. Recompile any applications that link against libgsf to ensure they use the updated library
  8. 8. Test that applications using libgsf (such as LibreOffice, Gnumeric) function correctly after the update

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

Fix this in Libgsf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,200
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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-2024-36474 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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