CVE-2021-39537Public exploitNetwork attack vector

tic crash via unterminated termcap input

Published Sep 20, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Heap buffer over-read in ncurses through 6.2-1 allows attackers to crash the tic utility via a malformed termcap entry. During termcap-to-terminfo conversion, _nc_captoinfo calls cvtchar without first ensuring that the input string has reached a valid terminator, causing a one-byte read beyond the heap buffer. The crafted file must be parsed by tic; the documented consequence is process termination rather than code execution.

CVSS severity8.8
High
EPSS probability3.23%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Heap buffer over-read in ncurses through 6.2-1 allows attackers to crash the tic utility via a malformed termcap entry. During termcap-to-terminfo conversion, _nc_captoinfo calls cvtchar without first ensuring that the input string has reached a valid terminator, causing a one-byte read beyond the heap buffer. The crafted file must be parsed by tic; the documented consequence is process termination rather than code execution.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-39537
Published
Sep 20, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-787, T1499.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 20, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

8.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
6.8NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-787Out-of-bounds Write
T1499.004Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo