CVE-2025-15281
📋 TL;DR
A memory corruption vulnerability in GNU C Library's wordexp function when using WRDE_REUSE with WRDE_APPEND flags can return uninitialized memory. This may cause process crashes during subsequent wordfree calls, potentially leading to denial of service. Affects applications using wordexp with these specific flags on systems with glibc versions 2.0 through 2.42.
💻 Affected Systems
- GNU C Library (glibc)
📦 What is this software?
Glibc by Gnu
The GNU C Library (glibc) is the core C library for Linux systems, providing essential system calls and basic functions for all C programs. It is a fundamental component that nearly every Linux application depends on.
Learn more about Glibc →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Process crashes leading to denial of service, potentially disrupting critical system functions or services that rely on wordexp parsing.
Likely Case
Application instability and crashes when processing specific input with wordexp flags, causing service interruptions.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if applications don't use wordexp with WRDE_REUSE and WRDE_APPEND flags together.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires application to use vulnerable wordexp flags. Proof of concept demonstrates crash condition.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: glibc 2.43 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=33814
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update glibc to version 2.43 or later. 2. For distributions: Use package manager (apt-get upgrade libc6, yum update glibc, etc.). 3. Restart affected applications or reboot system.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Avoid vulnerable wordexp usage
linuxModify applications to avoid using WRDE_REUSE with WRDE_APPEND flags together in wordexp calls.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Review application code for wordexp usage with WRDE_REUSE and WRDE_APPEND flags
- Implement input validation and sanitization for wordexp inputs
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check glibc version with 'ldd --version' or 'getconf GNU_LIBC_VERSION'. If version is between 2.0 and 2.42, check if applications use wordexp with WRDE_REUSE and WRDE_APPEND.Check Version:
ldd --version | head -1Verify Fix Applied:
Verify glibc version is 2.43 or later with 'ldd --version'. Test applications that previously used wordexp with vulnerable flags.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes with segmentation faults in wordexp/wordfree functions
- Core dumps from processes using wordexp
Network Indicators:
- Sudden service unavailability for applications using wordexp
SIEM Query:
process:name="*" AND event:type="crash" AND stack_trace:"wordfree" OR "wordexp"