CVE-2013-4357

What it actually does

Buffer overflow in getaddrinfo() within eglibc < 2.14 allows remote input to trigger memory corruption that crashes the calling process, resulting in denial of service with no confidentiality or integrity impact.

Why it matters to the business

Unpatched Linux systems using affected eglibc versions risk sudden unavailability of network-dependent services; the issue remains exploitable years after disclosure on any remaining legacy deployments.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker supplies a crafted hostname or DNS response that causes getaddrinfo() to overflow an internal buffer, immediately terminating the vulnerable process and disrupting any application performing name resolution.

How to fix it

Upgrade eglibc to version 2.14 or later on all affected distributions; apply vendor patches for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora as appropriate; disable unnecessary name resolution where feasible until patched.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm eglibc version is 2.14 or newer via package manager; test name-resolution functions with known trigger inputs in a lab environment; monitor process stability under load after deployment.

Typical attack path

1. Identify services on the target that invoke getaddrinfo() for name resolution
2. Send a malicious DNS reply or hostname string over the network
3. Trigger the buffer overflow and force the process to crash
4. Repeat to sustain denial of service

How to detect it

Review application and system logs for abrupt crashes during name resolution; look for repeated failures in processes that call getaddrinfo(); correlate with network traffic containing unusual DNS payloads.

What your security team should do

• Inventory all systems still running eglibc < 2.14 and prioritize immediate upgrade
• Block or rate-limit untrusted DNS responses at network boundaries until patches are applied
• Add getaddrinfo() crash signatures to monitoring rules given public exploit availability