CVE-2026-77658
Received Received - Intake

Stack-Based Buffer Overflow in Dia Diagram Editor

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-77658, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-08-26

Last updated on: 2026-08-26

Assigner: Fedora Project

Description

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the Dia diagram editor when processing Network Bus objects from Dia XML project files. In objects/network/bus.c, bus_load() reads the number of bus handles from the file attribute "bus_handles" using attribute_num_data() without validating an upper bound: bus->num_handles = attribute_num_data(attr); When a bus handle is subsequently moved, bus_handle_moved() allocates two temporary arrays on the stack: parallel = (real *)g_alloca(num_handles * sizeof(real)); perp = (real *)g_alloca(num_handles * sizeof(real)); Because num_handles is fully attacker-controlled via the project file, sufficiently large values (for example 262144 or higher) cause g_alloca() to consume more stack space than the default thread stack limit (typically 8 MB on Linux), resulting in stack overflow, SIGSEGV, and potential stack frame / return-address corruption. An attacker can embed a Bus object with an excessive bus_handles count in a malicious .dia file. Exploitation requires the victim to open the file in Dia (file dialog, command line, or file association) and trigger handle manipulation (moving a bus handle), which exercises the vulnerable code path. The identical g_alloca pattern is present in objects/Misc/tree.c (copied from bus.c) and is likely vulnerable to the same class of attack via Tree objects. Affected versions: Dia 0.98.0 and earlier versions containing this code; issue confirmed on upstream master as of 2026-08-21. Upstream report: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/dia/-/issues/581

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-26
Last Modified
2026-08-26
Generated
2026-08-26
AI Q&A
2026-08-26
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
gnome dia to 0.98.1 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-121 A stack-based buffer overflow condition is a condition where the buffer being overwritten is allocated on the stack (i.e., is a local variable or, rarely, a parameter to a function).

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Executive Summary

CVE-2026-77658 is a stack-based buffer overflow in the Dia diagram editor. It occurs when processing Network Bus objects in Dia XML project files. The vulnerability is in the bus_load() function which reads the bus_handles attribute without validating its size. This allows an attacker to set a very large num_handles value. When a bus handle is moved, the program allocates two large temporary arrays on the stack based on num_handles. If num_handles is too large (e.g., 262144 or higher), it exceeds the default thread stack limit (8 MB on Linux), causing a stack overflow, SIGSEGV, and potential memory corruption.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, monitor for crashes or SIGSEGV errors when opening Dia files with Bus or Tree objects. Check for unusually large bus_handles or tree_handles values in .dia files using grep or text editors. No specific commands are provided in the context.

Impact Analysis

If you open a malicious .dia file in Dia and move a bus handle, the program may crash due to stack overflow. In severe cases, an attacker could exploit this to execute arbitrary code on your system, potentially gaining control of your computer. Even without code execution, the crash could lead to denial of service or data loss in unsaved work.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately update Dia to a patched version if available. Avoid opening untrusted .dia files, especially those containing Bus or Tree objects. Disable file associations for .dia files if possible. Monitor for crashes when handling Dia files.

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