CVE-2015-1804

CVE-2015-1804 is a high-severity vulnerability in X Libxfont with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 8.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-189.

Key facts

• Severity: High (CVSS 2.0 base score 8.5)
• EPSS exploit prediction: 5% (91st percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Weakness: CWE-189
• Affected product: X Libxfont
• Published: 2015-03-20
• Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The bdfReadCharacters function in bitmap/bdfread.c in X.Org libXfont before 1.4.9 and 1.5.x before 1.5.1 does not properly perform type conversion for metrics values, which allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds memory access) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted BDF font file.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-1804?

The bdfReadCharacters function in bitmap/bdfread.c in X.Org libXfont before 1.4.9 and 1.5.x before 1.5.1 does not properly perform type conversion for metrics values, which allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds memory access) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted BDF font file.

How severe is CVE-2015-1804?

CVE-2015-1804 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 8.5, rated high severity.

Is CVE-2015-1804 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2015-1804?

CVE-2015-1804 primarily affects X Libxfont. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2015-1804?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2015-1804 published?

CVE-2015-1804 was published on 2015-03-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

• http://advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2015-0113.html
• http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-March/152497.html
• http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-March/152838.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-03/msg00032.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-04/msg00002.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-04/msg00005.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2015-12/msg00074.html
• http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-1708.html
• http://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3194
• http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2015:145
• http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/bulletinapr2015-2511959.html
• http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/cpujul2015-2367936.html
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/73279
• http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1031935
• http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2536-1
• http://www.x.org/wiki/Development/Security/Advisory-2015-03-17/
• https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201507-21

Affected products (2)

• cpe:2.3:a:x:libxfont:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:x:libxfont:1.5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in X Libxfont

• CVE-2007-5199 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A single byte overflow in catalogue.c in X.Org libXfont 1.3.1 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact.
• CVE-2013-6462 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Stack-based buffer overflow in the bdfReadCharacters function in bitmap/bdfread.c in X.Org libXfont 1.1 through 1.4.6…
• CVE-2011-2895 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): The LZW decompressor in (1) the BufCompressedFill function in fontfile/decompress.c in X.Org libXfont before 1.4.4 and…
• CVE-2015-1803 — High (CVSS 8.5): The bdfReadCharacters function in bitmap/bdfread.c in X.Org libXfont before 1.4.9 and 1.5.x before 1.5.1 does not…
• CVE-2015-1802 — High (CVSS 8.5): The bdfReadProperties function in bitmap/bdfread.c in X.Org libXfont before 1.4.9 and 1.5.x before 1.5.1 allows remote…
• CVE-2014-0211 — High (CVSS 7.5): Multiple integer overflows in the (1) fs_get_reply, (2) fs_alloc_glyphs, and (3) fs_read_extent_info functions in X.Org…

All CVEs affecting X Libxfont →

Other CWE-189 (Numeric Errors) vulnerabilities

• CVE-2015-8396 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer overflow in the ImageRegionReader::ReadIntoBuffer function in…
• CVE-2015-7205 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer underflow in the RTPReceiverVideo::ParseRtpPacket function in Mozilla Firefox before 43.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x…
• CVE-2015-6575 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SampleTable.cpp in libstagefright in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48I does not properly consider integer promotion, which…
• CVE-2015-3864 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer underflow in the MPEG4Extractor::parseChunk function in MPEG4Extractor.cpp in libstagefright in mediaserver in…
• CVE-2015-3836 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Parse_wave function in arm-wt-22k/lib_src/eas_mdls.c in the Sonivox DLS-to-EAS converter in Android before 5.1.1…
• CVE-2015-3834 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple integer overflows in the BnHDCP::onTransact function in media/libmedia/IHDCP.cpp in libstagefright in Android…

Browse all CWE-189 (Numeric Errors) vulnerabilities →