CVE-2014-9488

What it is

The is_utf8_well_formed function in GNU less before 475 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via malformed UTF-8 characters, which triggers an out-of-bounds read.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network without logging in. High risk of data exposure, data tampering, service disruption.

Exploit odds

3.9% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

No patch or advisory is linked yet. Look at mitigations or restrict exposure.

Timeline

1. 2015-01-03 00:00 UTC ReservedThe CVE id was reserved by its CNA
2. 2015-04-14 18:59 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
3. 2026-06-17 00:18 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 3.9% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 10.0 HIGH (CVSS).
• Fix: none linked yet, which raises it.

Details

Published

2015-04-14 18:59 UTC

Last modified

2026-06-17 00:18 UTC

Exploit probability

3.9% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-119 · Buffer errors

Record status

Modified

Affected

• Opensuse 13.1
• Opensuse 13.2
• Gnu Less ≤ 471

Attack profile CVSS 2.0 · 10.0

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

Low

Authentication

None

Confidentiality

Complete

Integrity

Complete

Availability

Complete

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2014-9488.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2014-9488. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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