The "insert-blank-characters" capability in caps.c in gnome-terminal (vte) before 0.28.1…
Priority LOW 21CWE-20Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- — Not recorded in CVSS 2.0
- Attack complexity
- Medium
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · Partial
- Fix status
- Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
Attack profile from CVSS 2.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-399 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
The "insert-blank-characters" capability in caps.c in gnome-terminal (vte) before 0.28.1 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (CPU and memory consumption and crash) via a crafted file, as demonstrated by a file containing the string "\033[100000000000000000@".
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.02162 82nd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by NVD
Fix Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:gnome:gnome-terminal:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | up to 0.28.0 | Vulnerable | GNOME |
| cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:11.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11.4 | Vulnerable | openSUSE |
| cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:12.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 12.1 | Vulnerable | openSUSE |
| cpe:2.3:o:oracle:solaris:11.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11.2 | Vulnerable | Oracle |
- cpe:2.3:a:gnome:gnome-terminal:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions up to 0.28.0 Vulnerable ·GNOME
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:11.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.4 Vulnerable ·openSUSE
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:12.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 12.1 Vulnerable ·openSUSE
- cpe:2.3:o:oracle:solaris:11.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.2 Vulnerable ·Oracle
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2011-2198
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-h28x-j69c-gvmr
References
Exploit 1
Advisory 6
- [oss-security] 20110609 CVE Request -- vte -- Excessive memory and CPU use by processing certain character sequences
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=712148
- https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=629688
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/bulletinjan2015-2370101.html
- [oss-security] 20110613 CVE Request -- vte -- Excessive memory and CPU use by processing certain character sequences
- openSUSE-SU-2012:0931
Sources
- CVE-2011-2198 · CVE Program
- CVE-2011-2198 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-h28x-j69c-gvmr · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2011-2198 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences