CVE-2017-17440: GNU Libextractor 1.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and applic

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MEDIUM 6.5DOWNGRADE

CVE-2017-17440 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 6.5) affecting libextractor. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

GNU Libextractor 1.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via a crafted GIF, IT (Impulse Tracker), NSFE, S3M (Scream Tracker 3), SID, or XM (eXtended Module) file, as demonstrated by the EXTRACTOR_xm_extract_method function in plugins/xm_extractor.c.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	6.5 (Medium)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	Required
EPSS exploit chance	2.4% (top 16%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-476
Published	2017-12-06
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: gnu

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2017-12-06 17:29 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 01:10 UTCUpdated Record last modified

gnu libextractor DOWNGRADE

Affected: 1.6

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 1.6

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy libextractor || rpm -q libextractor || libextractor --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 1.6 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison libextractor sudo apt install libextractor=<VERSION_BEFORE_1.6> sudo apt-mark hold libextractor

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list libextractor sudo dnf downgrade libextractor-<VERSION_BEFORE_1.6> sudo dnf versionlock add libextractor

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2017-17440?

libextractor: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2017-17440 being exploited?

CVE-2017-17440 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2017-17440 affect?

CVE-2017-17440 affects libextractor. Severity is medium (CVSS 6.5). GNU Libextractor 1.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via a crafted GIF, IT (Impulse Tracker), NSFE, S3M (Scream Tracker 3), SID, or XM (eXtended Module) file, as demonstr

How urgent is CVE-2017-17440?

Priority 49/100. Public exploit reference

Related CVEs

CVE-2019-15531 MEDIUM 6.5 UPGRADE MITIGATE GNU Libextractor through 1.9 has a heap-based buffer over-read in the function EXTRACTOR_dvi_extract_method in
CVE-2018-20431 MEDIUM 6.5 UPGRADE MITIGATE GNU Libextractor through 1.8 has a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability in the function process_metadata() i
CVE-2018-20430 MEDIUM 6.5 UPGRADE MITIGATE GNU Libextractor through 1.8 has an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the function history_extract() in plug
CVE-2018-16430 HIGH 8.8 UPGRADE MITIGATE GNU Libextractor through 1.7 has an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in EXTRACTOR_zip_extract_method() in zip_
CVE-2018-14347 MEDIUM 6.5 MITIGATE UPGRADE GNU Libextractor before 1.7 contains an infinite loop vulnerability in EXTRACTOR_mpeg_extract_method (mpeg_ext

References

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