Critical Security Patch: Fedora 42 Addresses transfig Segfault Vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-46397 to CVE-2025-46400)

 

Critical Fedora 42 Update: Patch CVE-2025-46399 to CVE-2025-46400 transfig vulnerabilities causing segfaults and stack overflows. Secure systems with dnf upgrade instructions, exploit analysis, and Linux security best practices.

Why Immediate Action is Essential

Linux administrators managing Fedora 42 systems must prioritize this transfig utility update. Four critical CVEs—including segmentation faults and stack overflows—threaten system stability and security. 

Exploits could crash services processing FIG/PIC graphics or enable arbitrary code execution. Red Hat’s rapid response underscores the severity, urging enterprises to mitigate risks before deployment cycles.

Technical Breakdown of Vulnerabilities

transfig (v3.2.9a) converts FIG/PIC diagrams into LaTeX-compatible formats (PostScript, PDF). The update resolves:

1. CVE-2025-46399: Fig2dev segmentation fault during malformed FIG parsing.

2. CVE-2025-46400: read_arcobject memory corruption.

3. CVE-2025-46398: Stack overflow via recursive read_objects calls.

4. CVE-2025-46397: Generalized stack overflow in legacy FIG handlers.

Could unpatched systems expose your LaTeX rendering pipeline? Exploits targeting these flaws could disrupt academic publishing, CI/CD workflows, or technical documentation systems.

Update Instructions & Mitigation

Execute in terminal:

bash

su -c 'dnf upgrade --advisory FEDORA-2025-ea5c403b3e'  

Best Practices:

• Validate FIG files via fig2dev -L test smoke tests (new in this release).

• Isolate transfig in containers if processing untrusted graphics.

• Monitor Bugzilla #2373187–#2373198 for exploit PoCs.

Why This Matters for Linux Security

Red Hat’s advisory highlights proactive open-source maintenance:

"Smoke tests reduce regression risks by 62% in graphics toolchains" — LinuxSecurity Advertiser, 2025.

This update exemplifies Fedora’s commitment to zero-day response, critical for:

• Academic institutions using LaTeX.

• DevOps teams automating documentation.

• Enterprises prioritizing CVE compliance.

FAQs: transfig Security Patch

Q: How do I verify the update worked?

A: Run rpm -q transfig. Version 3.2.9a^20250619.ee3f4d8-2 confirms patched binaries.

Q: Are Windows/macOS systems affected?

A: Only Linux builds using transfig’s FIG/PIC toolchain.

Q: What’s the business impact of delaying?

A: Unpatched systems risk:

• Denial-of-service in documentation pipelines.

• Compliance violations (GDPR, HIPAA).