CVE-2014-9621
The ELF parser in file 5.16 through 5.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via...
The ELF parser in file 5.16 through 5.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long string.
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
5.0
The ELF parser in file 5.16 through 5.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long string.
- Record
CVE-2014-9621- CVSS 2.0
- 5.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-399
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
The ELF parser in file 5.16 through 5.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long string.
- Record
CVE-2014-9621- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2014-9434 No score
The ELF parser in file 5.16 through 5.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long string.
- Record
EUVD-2014-9434- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-37mq-9v9g-wmfw No score
The ELF parser in file 5.16 through 5.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via...
The ELF parser in file 5.16 through 5.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long string.
- Record
GHSA-37mq-9v9g-wmfw- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV No score
The ELF parser in file 5.16 through 5.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long string.
- Record
CVE-2014-9621- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2014-9621 No score
The ELF parser in file 5.16 through 5.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long string.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2014-9621- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Show 5 moreShow less
OSVMGASA-2015-0030 No score
Updated file packages fix security vulnerabilities
Updated file packages fix security vulnerabilities:
Alexander Cherepanov reported that using the file command on a specially-crafted ELF binary could lead to a denial of service due to uncontrolled resource consumption while processing ELF section headers (CVE-2014-9620, CVE-2014-9621).
As part of the fixes, several limits on aspects of the detection were added or tightened, sometimes resulting in messages like "recursion limit exceeded" or "too many program header sections".
To mitigate such shortcomings, these limits are controllable by a new -P, --parameter option in the file program.
- Record
MGASA-2015-0030- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2015-0040 No score
Updated php packages fix security vulnerabilities
Updated php and libgd packages fix security vulnerabilities:
Double free vulnerability in the zend_ts_hash_graceful_destroy function in zend_ts_hash.c in the Zend Engine in PHP before 5.5.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors (CVE-2014-9425).
sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c in the CGI component in PHP before 5.5.21, when mmap is used to read a .php file, does not properly consider the mapping's length during processing of an invalid file that begins with a # character and lacks a newline character, which causes an out-of-bounds read and might allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from php-cgi process memory by leveraging the ability to upload a .php file or trigger unexpected code execution if a valid PHP script is present in memory locations adjacent to the mapping (CVE-2014-9427).
Use after free vulnerability in unserialize() in PHP before 5.5.21 (CVE-2015-0231).
Free called on an uninitialized pointer in php-exif in PHP before 5.5.21 (CVE-2015-0232).
The readelf.c source file has been removed from PHP's bundled copy of file's libmagic, eliminating exposure to denial of service issues in ELF file parsing such as CVE-2014-8116, CVE-2014-8117, CVE-2014-9620 and CVE-2014-9621 in PHP's fileinfo module.
A buffer read overflow in gd_gif_in.c in the php#68601 bug referenced in the PHP 5.5.21 ChangeLog has been fixed in the libgd package.
The php package has been updated to version 5.5.21 to fix these issues and other bugs. Please see the upstream ChangeLog for more information.
- Record
MGASA-2015-0040- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2017:3048-1 No score
Security update for file
The GNU file utility was updated to version 5.22.
Security issues fixed:
- CVE-2014-9621: The ELF parser in file allowed remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long string. (bsc#913650)
- CVE-2014-9620: The ELF parser in file allowed remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a large number of notes. (bsc#913651)
- CVE-2014-9653: readelf.c in file did not consider that pread calls sometimes read only a subset of the available data, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (uninitialized memory access) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted ELF file. (bsc#917152)
- CVE-2014-8116: The ELF parser (readelf.c) in file allowed remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption or crash) via a large number of (1) program or (2) section headers or (3) invalid capabilities. (bsc#910253)
- CVE-2014-8117: softmagic.c in file did not properly limit recursion, which allowed remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption or crash) via unspecified vectors. (bsc#910253)
Version update to file version 5.22
- add indirect relative for TIFF/Exif
- restructure elf note printing to avoid repeated messages
- add note limit, suggested by Alexander Cherepanov
- Bail out on partial pread()'s (Alexander Cherepanov)
- Fix incorrect bounds check in file_printable (Alexander Cherepanov)
- PR/405: ignore SIGPIPE from uncompress programs
- change printable -> file_printable and use it in more places for safety
- in ELF, instead of '(uses dynamic libraries)' when PT_INTERP is present print the interpreter name.
Version update to file version 5.21
- there was an incorrect free in magic_load_buffers()
- there was an out of bounds read for some pascal strings
- there was a memory leak in magic lists
- don't interpret strings printed from files using the current locale, convert them to ascii format first.
- there was an out of bounds read in elf note reads
Update to file version 5.20
- recognize encrypted CDF documents
- add magic_load_buffers from Brooks Davis
- add thumbs.db support
Additional non-security bug fixes:
- Fixed a memory corruption during rpmbuild (bsc#1063269)
- Backport of a fix for an increased printable string length as found in file 5.30 (bsc#996511)
- file command throws 'Composite Document File V2 Document, corrupt: Can't read SSAT' error against excel 97/2003 file format. (bsc#1009966)
- Record
SUSE-SU-2017:3048-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2014-9621 No score
The ELF parser in file 5.16 through 5.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a long string.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2014-9621- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-3686-1 No score
file vulnerabilities
Alexander Cherepanov discovered that file incorrectly handled a large number of notes. An attacker could use this issue to cause a denial of service. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. (CVE-2014-9620)
Alexander Cherepanov discovered that file incorrectly handled certain long strings. An attacker could use this issue to cause a denial of service. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. (CVE-2014-9621)
Alexander Cherepanov discovered that file incorrectly handled certain malformed ELF files. An attacker could use this issue to cause a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. (CVE-2014-9653)
It was discovered that file incorrectly handled certain magic files. An attacker could use this issue with a specially crafted magic file to cause a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. (CVE-2015-8865)
It was discovered that file incorrectly handled certain malformed ELF files. An attacker could use this issue to cause a denial of service. (CVE-2018-10360)
- Record
USN-3686-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
fileDebian:12 |
before 1:5.21+15-1 | 1:5.21+15-1 |
fileDebian:13 |
before 1:5.21+15-1 | 1:5.21+15-1 |
fileDebian:14 |
before 1:5.21+15-1 | 1:5.21+15-1 |
fileMageia:4 From an advisory covering 2 CVEs |
before 5.16-1.10.mga4 | 5.16-1.10.mga4 |
phpMageia:4 From an advisory covering 8 CVEs |
before 5.5.21-1.mga4 | 5.5.21-1.mga4 |
php-apcMageia:4 From an advisory covering 8 CVEs |
before 3.1.15-4.11.mga4 | 3.1.15-4.11.mga4 |
libgdMageia:4 From an advisory covering 8 CVEs |
before 2.1.0-3.2.mga4 | 2.1.0-3.2.mga4 |
fileSUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP2 From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 5.22-10.3.1 | 5.22-10.3.1 |
fileSUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP3 From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 5.22-10.3.1 | 5.22-10.3.1 |
fileSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for Raspberry Pi 12 SP2 From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 5.22-10.3.1 | 5.22-10.3.1 |
Show 12 moreShow less
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
fileSUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP2 From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 5.22-10.3.1 | 5.22-10.3.1 |
python-magicSUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP2 From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 5.22-10.3.1 | 5.22-10.3.1 |
fileSUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP3 From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 5.22-10.3.1 | 5.22-10.3.1 |
python-magicSUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP3 From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 5.22-10.3.1 | 5.22-10.3.1 |
fileSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2 From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 5.22-10.3.1 | 5.22-10.3.1 |
fileSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP2 From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 5.22-10.3.1 | 5.22-10.3.1 |
fileSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3 From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 5.22-10.3.1 | 5.22-10.3.1 |
fileSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3 From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 5.22-10.3.1 | 5.22-10.3.1 |
fileUbuntu:14.04:LTS |
before 1:5.14-2ubuntu3.4, plus listed versions 5.11-2ubuntu41:5.14-2ubuntu11:5.14-2ubuntu21:5.14-2ubuntu31:5.14-2ubuntu3.11:5.14-2ubuntu3.21:5.14-2ubuntu3.3 |
1:5.14-2ubuntu3.4 |
fileUbuntu:14.04:LTS From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 1:5.14-2ubuntu3.4, plus listed versions 5.11-2ubuntu41:5.14-2ubuntu11:5.14-2ubuntu21:5.14-2ubuntu31:5.14-2ubuntu3.11:5.14-2ubuntu3.21:5.14-2ubuntu3.3 |
1:5.14-2ubuntu3.4 |
fileUbuntu:16.04:LTS From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 1:5.25-2ubuntu1.1, plus listed versions 1:5.22+15-2ubuntu11:5.25-2ubuntu1 |
1:5.25-2ubuntu1.1 |
fileUbuntu:18.04:LTS From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 1:5.32-2ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions 1:5.32-11:5.32-2 |
1:5.32-2ubuntu0.1 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | ||
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2014-9621 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.0) in File Project File, published January 19, 2015. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.98%, the 87th percentile. Fixed in file 1:5.21+15-1.
References
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/01/17/9
usn.ubuntu.com/3686-1
mx.gw.com/pipermail/file/2014/001654.html
mx.gw.com/pipermail/file/2015/001660.html
security.gentoo.org/glsa/201503-08
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2015-0040.html
Show 30 moreShow less
github.com/file/file/commit/65437cee25199dbd385fb35901bc0011e164276c
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-9621
github.com/advisories/GHSA-37mq-9v9g-wmfw
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2014-9621
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2015-0030.html
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=15064
debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3121
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=15121
php.net/ChangeLog-5.php
suse.com/support/update/announcement/2017/suse-su-20173048-1
bugzilla.suse.com/1009966
bugzilla.suse.com/1063269
bugzilla.suse.com/910252
bugzilla.suse.com/910253
bugzilla.suse.com/913650
bugzilla.suse.com/913651
bugzilla.suse.com/917152
bugzilla.suse.com/996511
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-8116
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-8117
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-9620
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-9621
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-9653
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2014-9621
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-3686-1
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2014-9621
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2014-9620
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2014-9653
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2015-8865
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-10360