CVE-2012-0064: Medium severity x11 fonts utilities vulnerability
It was found that XKB actions for debugging X.org clients were enabled by default. This could cause a screen locking application such as gnome-screensaver to be killed when those key combinations were triggered.
The debugging key actions were introduced in the following commit: http://cgit.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/commit/?id=7d2543a3cb3089241982ce4f8984fd723d5312a1
Reference: http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.security.oss.general/6725
Mitigation: http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.security.oss.general/6725/focus=6731
Other sources
xkeyboard-config before 2.5 in X.Org before 7.6 enables certain XKB debugging functions by default, which allows physically proximate attackers to bypass an X screen lock via keyboard combinations that break the input grab.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2012-0064?
CVE-2012-0064 is categorized as a medium-severity vulnerability due to its potential to disrupt screen locking applications.
How do I fix CVE-2012-0064?
To mitigate CVE-2012-0064, disable the debugging XKB actions in your X server configuration.
What software is affected by CVE-2012-0064?
CVE-2012-0064 affects multiple versions of X.Org X11 and Debian Keyboard Configuration software.
Can CVE-2012-0064 lead to unauthorized access?
While CVE-2012-0064 primarily disrupts the screen locking mechanism, it does not directly enable unauthorized access.
Is there a workaround for CVE-2012-0064?
A temporary workaround for CVE-2012-0064 is to use alternative screen locking mechanisms that are not affected by the XKB debugging actions.