CVE-2012-2673: Multiple integer overflows in the (1) GC_generic_malloc and (2) calloc functions in malloc.c, and the (3) G...

Security readout for executives and security teams

CVE-2012-2673 is an old memory allocation flaw in Boehm-Demers-Weiser GC, also known as libgc. Very large allocation sizes could overflow internal calculations, causing too little memory to be allocated. In the wrong application context, that can turn into memory corruption such as buffer overflows. Exposure is most likely on legacy systems, embedded builds, or applications statically or dynamically linked against libgc before 7.2. Public distro advisories indicate packaged Linux environments received fixes, but local source builds and pinned dependencies need separate review. Treat this as a legacy dependency hygiene issue unless libgc is present in internet-facing or input-heavy services. The business priority is to find old copies, apply vendor updates, and avoid carrying unsupported memory-management code in critical applications. Mitigation focus: Identify systems and applications using Boehm-Demers-Weiser GC or libgc.; Upgrade libgc to 7.2 or a vendor-fixed package build.; Check Red Hat, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Mandriva advisories for distro-specific fixed versions..

Prepared

Jun 24, 2026, 12:34 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.