dpkg-source in dpkg 1.3.0 through 1.18.23 is able to use a non-GNU patch program and does not offer a protection mechanism for blank-indented diff hunks, which allows remote attackers to conduct directory traversal attacks via a crafted Debian source package, as demonstrated by use of dpkg-source on NetBSD.

Off-by-one error in the extracthalf function in dpkg-deb/extract.c in the dpkg-deb component in Debian dpkg 1.16.x before 1.16.17 and 1.17.x before 1.17.26 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via the archive magic version number in an "old-style" Debian binary package, which triggers a stack-based buffer overflow.

The dpkg-source command in Debian dpkg before 1.16.16 and 1.17.x before 1.17.25 allows remote attackers to bypass signature verification via a crafted Debian source control file (.dsc).

dpkg 1.15.9, 1.16.x before 1.16.14, and 1.17.x before 1.17.9 expect the patch program to be compliant with a need for the "C-style encoded filenames" feature, but is supported in environments with noncompliant patch programs, which triggers an interaction error that allows remote attackers to conduct directory traversal attacks and modify files outside of the intended directories via a crafted source package. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of reliance on unrealistic constraints on the behavior of an external program.

dpkg 1.15.9 on Debian squeeze introduces support for the "C-style encoded filenames" feature without recognizing that the squeeze patch program lacks this feature, which triggers an interaction error that allows remote attackers to conduct directory traversal attacks and modify files outside of the intended directories via a crafted source package. NOTE: this can be considered a release engineering problem in the effort to fix CVE-2014-0471.