CVE-2025-31179
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 · uneditedA flaw was found in gnuplot. The xstrftime() function may lead to a segmentation fault, causing a system crash.
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 denial-of-service vulnerability exists in gnuplot where the xstrftime() function can trigger a segmentation fault when processing certain time format inputs, causing the application to crash. The vulnerability stems from improper handling within the time formatting routine, allowing an attacker to cause a system crash via a specially crafted input to this function.
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< 6.0.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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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Verify gnuplot is installedRun `which gnuplot` or `command -v gnuplot` to confirm the binary exists on the systemAffected if gnuplot is not found, so the vulnerability does not apply
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Determine installed gnuplot versionRun `gnuplot --version` and compare the version number to the affected range (less than 6.0.0)Affected if The version is less than 6.0.0, indicating the installation is potentially vulnerable
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Identify scripts or data files using time functionsSearch gnuplot script files (.gnu, .plt) and data pipelines for calls to xstrftime(), strftime(), or time formatting specifiers like %Y, %m, %dAffected if Scripts or automated processes pass user-controlled or untrusted time format strings to gnuplot's time formatting functions
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Check for crash logs or segfaultsReview system logs (journalctl, dmesg, /var/log/messages) or application logs for recent gnuplot segmentation faults, particularly when processing time-related operationsAffected if Segmentation faults are observed in gnuplot when processing time format inputs
A system is affected if gnuplot version is below 6.0.0 and scripts or data inputs can trigger the xstrftime() function with specially crafted time format strings.
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 · scoped6.0.0
Avoid passing untrusted or malformed input to the xstrftime() function in gnuplot until an official patch is available. Monitor gnuplot's security channels for updates addressing this vulnerability.
6.0.0
- Check current gnuplot version using 'gnuplot --version'
- Upgrade gnuplot to version 6.0.0 or later using your system's package manager (e.g., apt-get install gnuplot, yum install gnuplot, brew install gnuplot, or compile from source)
- Verify the new version is installed with 'gnuplot --version'
- Test that gnuplot executes without segmentation fault
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-31179 — 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-2025-31179 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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