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CVE Record

CVE-2019-19905: NetHack 3.6.x before 3.6.4 is prone to a buffer overflow vulnerability when reading very long lines from co...

NetHack 3.6.x before 3.6.4 is prone to a buffer overflow vulnerability when reading very long lines from configuration files. This affects systems that have NetHack installed suid/sgid, and shared systems that allow users to upload their own configuration files.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

NetHack 3.6.x before 3.6.4 can overflow a buffer while reading very long configuration-file lines. Business risk is mostly on shared systems where users can provide NetHack configuration files, especially if NetHack is installed with suid or sgid privileges.

Executive priority

Treat as targeted cleanup, not broad emergency response, unless NetHack is present on shared or privileged systems. Prioritize package updates and suid/sgid review on multi-user hosts.

Technical view

The issue is a configuration-file parsing buffer overflow in NetHack 3.6.x before 3.6.4. The provided description limits affected scenarios to suid/sgid installations and shared systems permitting user-controlled configuration files. No CVSS, CWE, or detailed exploitability data is provided in the bundle.

Likely exposure

Most exposure is expected on Unix-like multi-user systems, lab servers, shell providers, or legacy game servers with NetHack 3.6.x installed suid/sgid or accepting user-uploaded configuration files.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show active exploitation, and CISA KEV status is false. The plausible risk is local or shared-host abuse through maliciously long configuration-file content, but the bundle does not establish exploit maturity or impact level.

Researcher notes

Key missing data includes CVSS, CWE classification, confirmed exploit status, and exact privilege impact. The strongest source-grounded exposure condition is user-controlled configuration parsing under suid/sgid or shared-system assumptions.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade NetHack to 3.6.4 or later where available.
  • Check OS vendor advisories for backported package fixes.
  • Remove suid/sgid bits from NetHack if not operationally required.
  • Restrict user-supplied NetHack configuration files on shared systems.
  • Review NetHack security guidance before relying on compensating controls.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory systems running NetHack 3.6.x before 3.6.4.
  • Check whether NetHack binaries are installed with suid or sgid permissions.
  • Identify shared environments allowing users to upload or edit NetHack configuration files.
  • Confirm patched package versions through the OS package manager or vendor advisory.
  • Document non-exposed installs separately from shared or privileged installs.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
7

Public sources used

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

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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CVE-2019-19905 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
6Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.