CVE-2025-5278

CVE-2025-5278 is a medium-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.4. 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-121.

Key facts

Description

A flaw was found in GNU Coreutils. The sort utility's begfield() function is vulnerable to a heap buffer under-read. The program may access memory outside the allocated buffer if a user runs a crafted command using the traditional key format. A malicious input could lead to a crash or leak sensitive data.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-5278?
A flaw was found in GNU Coreutils. The sort utility's begfield() function is vulnerable to a heap buffer under-read. The program may access memory outside the allocated buffer if a user runs a crafted command using the traditional key format. A malicious input could lead to a crash or leak sensitive data.
How severe is CVE-2025-5278?
CVE-2025-5278 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability low.
Is CVE-2025-5278 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (13th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2025-5278?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2025-5278 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2025-5278 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-16308.
When was CVE-2025-5278 published?
CVE-2025-5278 was published on 2025-05-27 and last updated on 2026-07-01.

References

Other CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow) vulnerabilities

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