========================================================================== Ubuntu Security Notice USN-8503-1 July 02, 2026
ncurses vulnerability
==========================================================================
A security issue affects these releases of Ubuntu and its derivatives:
- Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
- Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
- Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
- Ubuntu 14.04 LTS
Summary:
ncurses could be made to crash if it opened a specially crafted
file.
Software Description:
- ncurses: shared libraries for terminal handling
Details:
It was discovered that ncurses incorrectly handled certain terminfo
entries in the infocmp tool. An attacker could possibly use this issue
to cause a denial of service via a crafted terminfo file.
The default compiler options for affected releases should reduce the
vulnerability to a denial of service.
Update instructions:
The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following
package versions:
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
ncurses-bin 6.2-0ubuntu2.1+esm1
Available with Ubuntu Pro
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
ncurses-bin 6.1-1ubuntu1.18.04.1+esm3
Available with Ubuntu Pro
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
ncurses-bin 6.0+20160213-1ubuntu1+esm6
Available with Ubuntu Pro
Ubuntu 14.04 LTS
ncurses-bin 5.9+20140118-1ubuntu1+esm6
Available with Ubuntu Pro
In general, a standard system update will make all the necessary changes.
References:
https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8503-1
CVE-2025-69720
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