CVE-2017-6439 — Heap-based buffer overflow in the parse_string_node function in bplist

Heap-based buffer overflow in the parse_string_node function in bplist.c in libimobiledevice libplist 1.12 allows local users to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) via a crafted plist file.

01What is this vulnerability?

Heap-based buffer overflow in the parse_string_node function in bplist.c in libimobiledevice libplist 1.12 allows local users to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) via a crafted plist file.

02Affected products

No structured affected-product list available — see references below for vendor advisories.

03Active exploitation status

Not currently listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. EPSS is the best forward-looking signal — see the EPSS row above.

04Recommended remediation

• Patch to a fixed version listed in the vendor advisory (see references below).
• Mitigate with WAF rules, network egress filters, or feature flags where the patch is not yet available.
• Hunt historical logs for exploitation indicators — see Detection signatures below.

05Technical details

For the full vendor write-up, exploit chains, and reference implementations, see the references list in section 09.

06Detection signatures

Ask SARA in chat to draft a starting detection for this CVE in your stack of choice.

07Related CVEs

No directly-cited follow-up CVEs in the KB record for this advisory. The references list in section 09 carries the vendor cross-references.

08Timeline

• Published: 2017-03-15T14:59:01.087
• Last modified: 2026-05-13T00:24:29.033

09References

• www.securityfocus.com — http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/97278
• github.com — https://github.com/libimobiledevice/libplist/commit/32ee5213fe64f1e10ec76c1ee861…
• github.com — https://github.com/libimobiledevice/libplist/issues/95
• lists.debian.org — https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/04/msg00002.html
• www.securityfocus.com — http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/97278
• github.com — https://github.com/libimobiledevice/libplist/commit/32ee5213fe64f1e10ec76c1ee861…
• github.com — https://github.com/libimobiledevice/libplist/issues/95
• lists.debian.org — https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/04/msg00002.html