CVE-2017-16611

In libXfont before 1.5.4 and libXfont2 before 2.0.3, a local attacker can open (but not read)...

5.5 MediumFix available

In libXfont before 1.5.4 and libXfont2 before 2.0.3, a local attacker can open (but not read) files on the system as root, triggering tape rewinds, watchdogs, or similar mechanisms that can be triggered by opening files.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: Low
User interaction: None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Exploit likelihood

0.42%Down 0.5 points since Apr 14, 2021

What each source reports

NVD Score used 5.5

Record: CVE-2017-16611
CVSS 3.1: 5.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS 2.0: 4.9 MediumAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
Weakness: CWE-59
Updated: 2026-11-02

CVE List No score

Record: CVE-2017-16611
Updated: 2026-11-02

EUVDEUVD-2017-7802 No score

Record: EUVD-2017-7802
Updated: 2026-11-03

GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-vjcj-64vh-89f7 5.5

In libXfont before 1.5.4 and libXfont2 before 2.0.3, a local attacker can open (but not read)...

Record: GHSA-vjcj-64vh-89f7
CVSS 3.1: 5.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness: CWE-59
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVALPINE-CVE-2017-16611 5.5

Record: ALPINE-CVE-2017-16611
CVSS 3.1: 5.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVBELL-CVE-2017-16611 5.5

CVE-2017-16611 does not affect BellSoft software

Record: BELL-CVE-2017-16611
CVSS 3.1: 5.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

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OSV 5.5

Record: CVE-2017-16611
CVSS 3.1: 5.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2017-16611 5.5

Record: DEBIAN-CVE-2017-16611
CVSS 3.1: 5.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2017-16611 5.5

Record: UBUNTU-CVE-2017-16611
CVSS 3.1: 5.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS 3.0: 5.5 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVMGASA-2017-0442 No score

Updated libxfont/libxfont2 packages fix security vulnerability

Fixes open files with O_NOFOLLOW. (CVE-2017-16611)

Record: MGASA-2017-0442
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:10921-1 No score

libXfont-devel-1.5.4-2.18 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the libXfont-devel-1.5.4-2.18 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record: openSUSE-SU-2024:10921-1
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:10922-1 No score

libXfont2-2-2.0.5-1.2 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the libXfont2-2-2.0.5-1.2 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record: openSUSE-SU-2024:10922-1
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVUSN-3500-1 No score

libxfont, libxfont1, libxfont2 vulnerability

It was discovered that libXfont incorrectly followed symlinks when opening font files. A local unprivileged user could use this issue to cause the X server to access arbitrary files, including special device files.

Record: USN-3500-1
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVUSN-8560-1 No score

libxfont vulnerabilities

It was discovered that libXfont incorrectly handled scaling bitmap fonts, leading to a heap buffer overflow. An attacker able to access the X server could use this issue to cause libXfont to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2026-56001)

It was discovered that libXfont did not properly check glyph bounds when reading PCF fonts, leading to a heap buffer overflow. An authenticated X client could use this issue to cause libXfont to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2026-56002)

It was discovered that libXfont did not properly check the size of the property buffer when parsing PCF fonts, leading to a heap buffer overflow. An authenticated X client could use this issue to cause libXfont to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2026-56003)

Record: USN-8560-1
Updated: 2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
Package	Affected	Fixed
`libxfont` Alpine:v3.10	1.0.0 up to 1.5.4-r0	1.5.4-r0
`libxfont` Alpine:v3.11	1.0.0 up to 1.5.4-r0	1.5.4-r0
`libxfont` Alpine:v3.12	1.0.0 up to 1.5.4-r0	1.5.4-r0
`libxfont` Alpine:v3.13	1.0.0 up to 1.5.4-r0	1.5.4-r0
`libxfont` Alpine:v3.14	1.0.0 up to 1.5.4-r0	1.5.4-r0
`libxfont` Alpine:v3.15	1.0.0 up to 1.5.4-r0	1.5.4-r0
`libxfont` Alpine:v3.16	1.0.0 up to 1.5.4-r0	1.5.4-r0
`libxfont` Alpine:v3.17	1.0.0 up to 1.5.4-r0	1.5.4-r0
`libxfont` Alpine:v3.7	1.0.0 up to 1.5.4-r0	1.5.4-r0
`libxfont` Alpine:v3.8	1.0.0 up to 1.5.4-r0	1.5.4-r0

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Affected packages
Package	Affected	Fixed
`libxfont` Alpine:v3.9	1.0.0 up to 1.5.4-r0	1.5.4-r0
`libxfont2` Alpine:v3.10	before 2.0.3-r0	2.0.3-r0
`libxfont2` Alpine:v3.11	before 2.0.3-r0	2.0.3-r0
`libxfont2` Alpine:v3.12	before 2.0.3-r0	2.0.3-r0
`libxfont2` Alpine:v3.7	before 2.0.3-r0	2.0.3-r0
`libxfont2` Alpine:v3.8	before 2.0.3-r0	2.0.3-r0
`libxfont2` Alpine:v3.9	before 2.0.3-r0	2.0.3-r0
`libxfont` Debian:12	before 1:2.0.3-1	1:2.0.3-1
`libxfont` Debian:13	before 1:2.0.3-1	1:2.0.3-1
`libxfont` Debian:14	before 1:2.0.3-1	1:2.0.3-1
`libxfont` Debian:9	before 1:2.0.1-3+deb9u2, plus listed versions 1:2.0.1-31:2.0.1-3+deb9u1	1:2.0.1-3+deb9u2
`libxfont` Mageia:5	before 1.5.1-1.2.mga5	1.5.1-1.2.mga5
`libxfont` Mageia:6	before 1.5.2-1.2.mga6	1.5.2-1.2.mga6
`libxfont2` Mageia:6	before 2.0.1-4.2.mga6	2.0.1-4.2.mga6
`libxfont` Ubuntu:14.04:LTS	before 1:1.4.7-1ubuntu0.4, plus listed versions 1:1.4.6-11:1.4.6-1ubuntu11:1.4.7-11:1.4.7-1ubuntu0.11:1.4.7-1ubuntu0.21:1.4.7-1ubuntu0.3	1:1.4.7-1ubuntu0.4
`libxfont` Ubuntu:16.04:LTS	before 1:1.5.1-1ubuntu0.16.04.4, plus listed versions 1:1.5.1-11:1.5.1-1ubuntu0.16.04.11:1.5.1-1ubuntu0.16.04.21:1.5.1-1ubuntu0.16.04.3	1:1.5.1-1ubuntu0.16.04.4
`libxfont2` Ubuntu:16.04:LTS	before 1:2.0.1-3~ubuntu16.04.3, plus listed versions 1:2.0.1-3~ubuntu16.04.11:2.0.1-3~ubuntu16.04.2	1:2.0.1-3~ubuntu16.04.3
`libxfont` Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS	before 1:1.4.7-1ubuntu0.4+esm2, plus listed versions 1:1.4.6-11:1.4.6-1ubuntu11:1.4.7-11:1.4.7-1ubuntu0.11:1.4.7-1ubuntu0.21:1.4.7-1ubuntu0.31:1.4.7-1ubuntu0.4	1:1.4.7-1ubuntu0.4+esm2
`libxfont` Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS	before 1:1.5.1-1ubuntu0.16.04.4+esm2, plus listed versions 1:1.5.1-11:1.5.1-1ubuntu0.16.04.11:1.5.1-1ubuntu0.16.04.21:1.5.1-1ubuntu0.16.04.31:1.5.1-1ubuntu0.16.04.4	1:1.5.1-1ubuntu0.16.04.4+esm2
`libxfont` Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS	before 1:2.0.3-1ubuntu0.1~esm2, plus listed versions 1:2.0.1-3ubuntu11:2.0.1-41:2.0.1-4ubuntu11:2.0.3-1	1:2.0.3-1ubuntu0.1~esm2
`libxfont` Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS	before 1:2.0.3-1ubuntu0.20.04.1~esm2, plus listed versions 1:2.0.3-1	1:2.0.3-1ubuntu0.20.04.1~esm2
`libxfont` Ubuntu:22.04:LTS	before 1:2.0.5-1ubuntu0.2, plus listed versions 1:2.0.4-1build31:2.0.5-11:2.0.5-1build1	1:2.0.5-1ubuntu0.2
`libxfont` Ubuntu:24.04:LTS	before 1:2.0.6-1+deb13u1build0.24.04.2, plus listed versions 1:2.0.6-11:2.0.6-1build1	1:2.0.6-1+deb13u1build0.24.04.2
`libxfont` Ubuntu:26.04:LTS	before 1:2.0.6-2ubuntu0.2, plus listed versions 1:2.0.6-1build11:2.0.6-1build21:2.0.6-2	1:2.0.6-2ubuntu0.2
`libXfont` openSUSE:Tumbleweed	before 1.5.4-2.18	1.5.4-2.18
`libXfont2` openSUSE:Tumbleweed	before 2.0.5-1.2	2.0.5-1.2

History

History
Recorded	Changed	Sources
Nov 3, 2026	aliases	EUVD
Nov 2, 2026	affected, aliases, references
Nov 2, 2026	first indexed	CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2017-16611 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) in X Libxfont, published November 28, 2017. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.42%, the 36th percentile. Fixed in libxfont 1.5.4-r0.

References

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