flex: Potential insecure code generation

flex: Potential insecure code generation flex might generate code with a buffer overflow, making applications using such scanners vulnerable to the execution of arbitrary code. flex 2006-03-10 2006-03-10 122940 remote and local 2.5.33-r1 2.5.33-r1

flex is a programming tool used to generate scanners (programs which recognize lexical patterns in text).

Chris Moore discovered a buffer overflow in a special class of lexicographical scanners generated by flex. Only scanners generated by grammars which use either REJECT, or rules with a "variable trailing context" might be at risk.

An attacker could feed malicious input to an application making use of an affected scanner and trigger the buffer overflow, potentially resulting in the execution of arbitrary code.

Avoid using vulnerable grammar in your flex scanners.

All flex users should upgrade to the latest version:


    # emerge --sync
    # emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=sys-devel/flex-2.5.33-r1"

CVE-2006-0459 koon koon koon