CVE-2017-13720
HIGHDescription
In the PatternMatch function in fontfile/fontdir.c in libXfont through 1.5.2 and 2.x before 2.0.2, an attacker with access to an X connection can cause a buffer over-read during pattern matching of fonts, leading to information disclosure or a crash (denial of service). This occurs because '\0' characters are incorrectly skipped in situations involving ? characters.
How to fix
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 36% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2014-0160 | High | 7.5 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2025-5777 | High | 7.5 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2021-4034 | High | 7.8 | 95% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2023-21769 | High | 7.5 | 92% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-49285 | High | 8.6 | 89% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2020-8794 | Critical | 9.8 | 89% | - | Fix |
Embed a live status badge for CVE-2017-13720
Markdown
[](https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2017-13720)HTML
<a href="https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2017-13720"><img src="https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2017-13720.svg" alt="CVE-2017-13720"></a>Find and fix vulnerabilities across your fleet
TridentStack Control continuously scans your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet for known vulnerabilities, prioritizes them by severity and active exploitation, and patches them automatically.
Start freeThis product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-05-13.