The vfprintf function in stdio-common/vfprintf.c in GNU C Library (aka glibc) 2.5, 2.12, and probably other versions does not "properly restrict the use of" the alloca function when allocating the SPECS array, which allows context-dependent attackers to bypass the FORTIFY_SOURCE format-string protection mechanism and cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted format string using positional parameters and a large number of format specifiers, a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-3404 and CVE-2012-3405.
CVE-2012-3406 is a security vulnerability that . Impacting 4 products from gnu, from redhat, from canonical and 1 other, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Documented in 2014, this vulnerability occurred amid the cloud computing expansion era, where traditional network perimeter security models were being reevaluated. Organizations were transitioning from isolated infrastructure to interconnected systems, creating new attack surfaces that vulnerabilities like this could exploit.
2014-02-10T18:15:10.120
2025-04-11T00:51:21.963
Deferred
CVSSv2: 6.8 (MEDIUM)
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
8.6
6.4
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | gnu | glibc | 2.5 | Yes |
| Application | gnu | glibc | 2.12 | Yes |
| Application | redhat | enterprise_virtualization | 3.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | canonical | ubuntu_linux | 8.04 | Yes |
| Operating System | canonical | ubuntu_linux | 10.04 | Yes |
| Operating System | canonical | ubuntu_linux | 11.04 | Yes |
| Operating System | canonical | ubuntu_linux | 11.10 | Yes |
| Operating System | canonical | ubuntu_linux | 12.04 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux | 5 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux | 6.0 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For gnu's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.