GNU Ncurses Stack-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability in Tic Program

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability has been identified in GNU Ncurses versions through 6.5-20250322. This issue arises in the 'postprocess_termcap' function within 'tinfo/parse_entry.c'. The vulnerability can be exploited locally, leading to a denial-of-service condition.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability causes a stack-based buffer overflow, which can disrupt the normal operation of the program and potentially allow for arbitrary code execution.

Reproduction

The vulnerability can be reproduced by compiling Ncurses with Clang, using AddressSanitizer to detect memory errors. After compiling the program, the 'tic' command can be run with a specially crafted input file that triggers the buffer overflow. The AddressSanitizer will report the stack-buffer-overflow error, indicating that the vulnerability has been successfully exploited.

Remediation

Users are advised to upgrade to GNU Ncurses version 6.5-20250329, which addresses this vulnerability.