Skip to main content

GNU UnRTF EUVDEUVD-2026-104795

| CVE-2026-109831 MEDIUM
Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787)
2026-10-20 jpcert GHSA-q9jg-8mw4-m3mw
5.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: jpcert
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Deliver crafted RTF to victim
  2. Exploit
    Victim opens file with UnRTF
  3. Execution
    Trigger out-of-bounds write in parser
  4. Impact
    Memory corruption crashes process (DoS)

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, write limits
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires a victim to process an attacker-controlled, maliciously crafted RTF file using UnRTF (standalone or embedded in a conversion workflow) - this is the explicit condition from the description ('If a user opens an RTF file crafted by an attacker'). No special product configuration or authentication is needed (PR:N), but active user interaction is required (UI:A), which is the primary limiting factor. The realistic impact is limited to a denial-of-service crash of the UnRTF process; there is no evidence in the available data of code execution, data disclosure, or persistence.

Impact

This is a moderate, low-priority issue despite the memory-corruption primitive (CWE-787 out-of-bounds write). The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L) scores 5.1 (Medium); the key risk-reducers are the mandatory user interaction (UI:A - a victim must actively process an attacker-crafted RTF file) and the fact that the vendor/description scope the outcome to denial-of-service only, not code execution, with no confidentiality impact (VC:N) and only Low integrity/availability impact. No EPSS score was provided in the input, there is no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit (POC) is referenced, so exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' Signals are internally consistent: a medium-severity, DoS-only file-parsing bug in a niche utility, reported through coordinated disclosure (JPCERT/JVN) rather than observed in attacks. One caveat to verify: the vector is rated AV:N, but UnRTF is a local command-line converter, so the 'network' rating reflects remote delivery of the malicious file (e.g., email attachment) rather than a listening network service - the actual trigger is local file processing with user interaction.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker emails or hosts a specially crafted RTF document and convinces a victim to convert it with UnRTF (directly or via an automated document-processing pipeline that calls UnRTF). Parsing the malformed RTF triggers an out-of-bounds write that corrupts memory and crashes the process, causing denial of service. No public exploit code is referenced in the available data.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 20, 2026

An out-of-bounds write in GNU UnRTF, the command-line RTF-to-HTML/text converter, can crash the process when a user converts a maliciously crafted RTF file, producing a denial-of-service condition. The flaw affects UnRTF releases tracked under the generic GNU Project CPE (no fixed version range is enumerated in the source data) and is reachable without authentication, but requires the victim to open or process the attacker-supplied RTF file. No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation is identified at time of analysis, and the realistic impact is limited to loss of availability of the conversion process rather than code execution or data disclosure.

RemediationAI

Check the GNU Savannah advisory (https://savannah.gnu.org/news/?id=10925) and the JVN#29783594 page (https://jvn.jp/en/jp/JVN29783594/) for the vendor-released fix version and upgrade UnRTF to that build; the source data does not specify an exact patch version, so do not assume a particular release number is fixed. If an update cannot be applied promptly, treat untrusted RTF as hostile input: route conversions through a sandboxed or unprivileged account with resource limits (ulimit/container memory and CPU caps) so a crash cannot affect other services, and reject or quarantine unsolicited RTF attachments at the mail gateway - the trade-off is reduced document-conversion functionality for legitimate users. Disabling or removing UnRTF from automated mail-filter pipelines that process external mail eliminates the exposure entirely at the cost of losing RTF-to-HTML conversion for inbound messages. Monitor for repeated converter crashes as an indicator of attempted exploitation, and apply any future UnRTF security release as soon as it is published.

Affected VersionsENISA

UnRTF 0 <0.21.12

Affected Packages

euvd unrtf fix: 0.21.12

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

UnRTF is a GNU Project C library and standalone utility that parses Rich Text Format documents and emits HTML, plain text, LaTeX, or troff output; it is also embedded in mail filters and document-conversion pipelines. The reported weakness is CWE-787 (out-of-bounds write), a memory-corruption class in which the parser writes past the bounds of an allocated buffer while handling attacker-controlled RTF constructs - typically group braces, control words, font/color tables, or embedded picture data whose declared sizes are not validated against the destination buffer. Because the root cause is a write beyond an allocation, the observable effect in practice is heap or stack corruption leading to a crash (DoS); while memory corruption can in principle be a precursor to code execution, the available data - including the JVN and GNU Savannah advisories - supports only an availability impact, so exploitation for code execution should not be assumed. Note that a CVSS 4.0 vector of 5.1 was published alongside the CVE, while independent assessment based on the CVSS 3.1 vector places the issue at AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L, i.e., network-deliverable but requiring user interaction and affecting only integrity/availability at low severity.

Know when Unrtf gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

Vendor (jpcert) PRIMARY 5.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 4.3 MEDIUM

Malicious RTF is delivered remotely but requires the user to process it (UI:R, PR:N); description scopes impact to a DoS crash, so C:N/I:N and A:L only.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (jpcert).

CVSS VectorVendor: jpcert

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Active
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
None
Vulnerable system: Integrity
Low
Vulnerable system: Availability
Low
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 20, 2026 - 06:16 EUVD
CVSS changed
Oct 20, 2026 - 05:22 NVD
5.4 (MEDIUM) 5.1 (MEDIUM)

DescriptionCVE.org

UnRTF by GNU Project is vulnerable to out-of-bounds write. If a user opens an RTF file crafted by an attacker, it may lead to a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 95% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche GNU command-line RTF-to-HTML converter, limited enterprise footprint
Social Media
2
Sightings
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

26
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +26
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy