CVE-2006-6169

Status: ModifiedMedium (6.8)—
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ask_outfile_name function in openfile.c for GnuPG (gpg) 1.4 and 2.0, when running interactively, might allow attackers to execute arbitrary code via messages with "C-escape" expansions, which cause the make_printable_string function to return a longer string than expected while constructing a prompt.
CVSS

Version: 2.0
Vector: AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Base score: 6.8
Exploitation probability (EPSS)

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 3.26%
Percentile among all scored CVEs: 88
Score date: 10/9/2026
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
Affected technologies (1)

Gnupg — Gnupg
CWEs

NVD-CWE-Other
References

Raw JSON (NVD)

Show
{
  "id": "CVE-2006-6169",
  "cveTags": [],
  "metrics": {
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      {
        "type": "Primary",
        "source": "nvd@nist.gov",
        "cvssData": {
          "version": "2.0",
          "baseScore": 6.8,
          "accessVector": "NETWORK",
          "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P",
          "authentication": "NONE",
          "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL",
          "accessComplexity": "MEDIUM",
          "availabilityImpact": "PARTIAL",
          "confidentialityImpact": "PARTIAL"
        },
        "acInsufInfo": false,
        "impactScore": 6.4,
        "baseSeverity": "MEDIUM",
        "obtainAllPrivilege": false,
        "exploitabilityScore": 8.6,
        "obtainUserPrivilege": true,
        "obtainOtherPrivilege": false,
        "userInteractionRequired": false
      }
    ]
  },
  "affected": [
    {
      "source": "cve@mitre.org",
      "affectedData": [
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          "vendor": "n/a",
          "product": "n/a",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "n/a"
            }
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    }
  ],
  "published": "2006-11-29T18:28:00.000",
  "references": [
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  ],
  "vulnStatus": "Modified",
  "weaknesses": [
    {
      "type": "Primary",
      "source": "nvd@nist.gov",
      "description": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "NVD-CWE-Other"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "descriptions": [
    {
      "lang": "en",
      "value": "Heap-based buffer overflow in the ask_outfile_name function in openfile.c for GnuPG (gpg) 1.4 and 2.0, when running interactively, might allow attackers to execute arbitrary code via messages with \"C-escape\" expansions, which cause the make_printable_string function to return a longer string than expected while constructing a prompt."
    },
    {
      "lang": "es",
      "value": "Desbordamiento de búfer basado en montículo en la función ask_outfile_name en el openfile.c para GnuPG (gpg) 1.4 y 2.0, cuando se está ejecutando interactivamente, podría permitir a atacantes remotos ejecutar código de su elección mediante mensajes con expansiones \"C-escape\", que provocan que la función make_printable_string devuelva una cadena más larga de lo esperado mientras construye un aviso."
    }
  ],
  "lastModified": "2026-06-16T22:32:36.313",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "nodes": [
        {
          "negate": false,
          "cpeMatch": [
            {
              "criteria": "cpe:2.3:a:gnupg:gnupg:1.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
              "vulnerable": true,
              "matchCriteriaId": "365FF476-1FFD-4E09-900C-50E0660766AB"
            },
            {
              "criteria": "cpe:2.3:a:gnupg:gnupg:2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
              "vulnerable": true,
              "matchCriteriaId": "47C64072-FC9C-4CA9-9752-3BC08839E319"
            }
          ],
          "operator": "OR"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "vendorComments": [
    {
      "comment": "Red Hat does not consider this bug to be a security flaw.  In order for this flaw to be exploited, a user would be required to enter shellcode into an interactive GnuPG session. Red Hat considers this to be an unlikely scenario.\n\nRed Hat Enterprise Linux 5 contains a backported patch to address this issue.",
      "lastModified": "2007-03-14T00:00:00",
      "organization": "Red Hat"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIdentifier": "cve@mitre.org"
}