file 4.20 fixes a heap overflow in that can result in arbitrary code execution

Integer underflow in the file_printf function in the "file" program before 4.20 allows user-assisted attackers to execute arbitrary code via a file that triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.

file integer overflow

Integer overflow in the "file" program 4.20, when running on 32-bit systems, as used in products including The Sleuth Kit, might allow user-assisted attackers to execute arbitrary code via a large file that triggers an overflow that bypasses an assert() statement. NOTE: this issue is due to an incorrect patch for CVE-2007-1536.

security flaw

Buffer overflow in tryelf() in readelf.c of the file command allows attackers to execute arbitrary code as the user running file, possibly via a large entity size value in an ELF header (elfhdr.e_shentsize).

Stack-based buffer overflow in the ELF header parsing code in file before 4.12 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted ELF file.