CVE-2014-0978 in Graphviz
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in the yyerror function in lib/cgraph/scan.l in Graphviz 2.34.0 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via a long line in a dot file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0978 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw within the Graphviz software suite version 2.34.0. This vulnerability specifically affects the yyerror function located in the lib/cgraph/scan.l file, which serves as a lexical scanner component responsible for processing dot files used in graph visualization. The flaw occurs when the software processes malformed input containing excessively long lines within dot format files, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause system instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the lexical analysis phase of Graphviz processing. The yyerror function, which handles error reporting during parsing operations, fails to properly bounds-check input strings when encountering excessively long lines in dot files. This oversight creates a classic stack buffer overflow condition where malicious input exceeding the allocated buffer space can overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting program execution flow and enabling arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability manifests during the parsing of dot files, which are commonly used for representing graphs and network structures in various applications and systems.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to systems that process untrusted dot files, particularly in environments where Graphviz is used for automated graph generation or as part of larger software ecosystems. Attackers can craft malicious dot files containing extraordinarily long lines to trigger the buffer overflow, potentially leading to remote code execution, denial of service, or information disclosure. The unspecified impact mentioned in the CVE description reflects the potential for various outcomes depending on the execution environment and exploitation methods employed, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in multi-tenant or shared hosting environments where untrusted input processing occurs.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 Stack-based Buffer Overflow, which classifies buffer overflows occurring when data is written beyond the boundaries of stack-allocated buffers. This weakness falls under the broader category of memory safety issues that have been extensively documented in cybersecurity literature and represent one of the most prevalent classes of vulnerabilities in software systems. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution and T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, as successful exploitation would allow attackers to execute arbitrary commands on vulnerable systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-0978 should prioritize immediate software updates to versions that address the buffer overflow vulnerability, as the original Graphviz 2.34.0 release contains no built-in protections against this specific flaw. Organizations should implement input validation measures that limit line lengths in dot files before processing, employ sandboxing techniques when handling untrusted graph data, and consider deploying network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious dot file patterns. Additionally, system administrators should review and restrict access to Graphviz processing capabilities, particularly in web-facing applications, and implement proper memory protection mechanisms such as stack canaries and address space layout randomization to reduce exploitation success rates. The vulnerability underscores the importance of robust input validation and memory safety practices in software development, particularly for applications that process structured data formats from external sources.