Buffer overflow in Nethack

CVE-2020-5213

In NetHack before 3.6.5, too long of a value for the SYMBOL configuration file option can cause a buffer overflow resulting in a crash or remote code execution/privilege escalation. This vulnerability affects systems that have NetHack installed suid/sgid and shared systems that allow users to upload their own configuration files. Users should upgrade to NetHack 3.6.5.

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.0 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.011 (63.4th percentile), scored .

Low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, but still tracked. 63rd percentile — 63.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2020-5213: held from 0.011 to 0.011.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.011 · newest: 0.011 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-5213?
CVE-2020-5213 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Nethack, classified under Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input (Classic Buffer Overflow). CVSS score: 5.0/10. Published 2020-01-28.
How severe is CVE-2020-5213?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.0 out of 10.