CVE-2025-31179
📋 TL;DR
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in gnuplot's xstrftime() function can cause segmentation faults and application crashes when processing certain time format strings. This affects systems running vulnerable versions of gnuplot, particularly those that process untrusted input through gnuplot scripts or data files.
💻 Affected Systems
- gnuplot
📦 What is this software?
Gnuplot by Gnuplot
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Denial of service through gnuplot crash, potentially disrupting data visualization workflows or automated plotting processes.
Likely Case
Application crash when processing malformed time format strings in gnuplot scripts, requiring manual restart of affected processes.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if gnuplot runs in isolated environments without untrusted input or with proper input validation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to supply input to gnuplot's xstrftime() function, typically through gnuplot scripts or data files.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Red Hat advisories for specific patched versions
Vendor Advisory: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-31179
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check your distribution's security advisories
2. Update gnuplot package using your package manager
3. Restart any processes using gnuplot
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input validation
allValidate and sanitize time format strings in gnuplot scripts before processing
Restrict gnuplot execution
allRun gnuplot with reduced privileges or in isolated environments
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate gnuplot processes from untrusted input sources
- Implement monitoring for gnuplot crashes and alert on abnormal termination
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check gnuplot version and compare against patched versions in vendor advisoriesCheck Version:
gnuplot --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify updated gnuplot version and test with known problematic time format strings📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Segmentation fault errors in system logs
- Gnuplot process crashes with signal 11 (SIGSEGV)
- Abnormal termination of gnuplot-related processes
SIEM Query:
process.name:"gnuplot" AND event.action:"crashed" OR signal:"SIGSEGV"