CVE-2020-35496: Null Pointer Dereference

Published Dec 29, 2020
·
Updated

GNU Binutils before 2.34 has a NULL pointer dereference in bfdpefscanstartaddress function in bfd/pef.c due to not checking return value of bfdmalloc. This bug allows attackers to cause a denial of service.

Reference: https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/showbug.cgi?id=25308

Other sources

GNU Binutils is vulnerable to a denial of service, caused by NULL pointer dereference in the bfdpefscanstartaddress() of bfd/pef.c. in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library. By persuading a victim to open a specially-crafted file with corrupt dwarf1 debug information, a remote attacker could cause a denial of service.

IBM

There's a flaw in bfdpefscanstartaddress() of bfd/pef.c in binutils which could allow an attacker who is able to submit a crafted file to be processed by objdump to cause a NULL pointer dereference. The greatest threat of this flaw is to application availability. This flaw affects binutils versions prior to 2.34.

MITRE

Affected Software

10 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/binutils<2.34
2.34
GNU binutils<2.34
Fedoraproject Fedora=32
NetApp Cloud Backup
NetApp ONTAP Select Deploy administration utility
NetApp Solidfire\, Enterprise Sds \& Hci Storage Node
NetApp Solidfire \& Hci Management Node
Broadcom Brocade Fabric Operating System Firmware
NetApp Hci Compute Node Firmware
NetApp Hci Compute Node

Event History

Dec 29, 2020
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·01:39 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Jan 4, 2021
CVE Published
via MITRE·02:24 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·02:24 PM
DescriptionWeakness
May 2, 2025
Data Sourced
via IBM·12:00 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2020-35496?

CVE-2020-35496 is a vulnerability in bfd_pef_scan_start_address() of bfd/pef.c in binutils, which could allow a crafted file processed by objdump to cause a NULL pointer dereference.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2020-35496?

The severity of CVE-2020-35496 is medium, with a severity value of 5.5.

3

Which software is affected by CVE-2020-35496?

The software affected by CVE-2020-35496 includes the binutils package version up to exclusive 2.34, GNU Binutils version up to exclusive 2.34, Fedora 32, Netapp Cloud Backup, NetApp ONTAP Select Deploy administration utility, Netapp Solidfire, Enterprise Sds & Hci Storage Node, Netapp Solidfire & Hci Management Node, Broadcom Brocade Fabric Operating System Firmware, and Netapp Hci Compute Node Firmware.

4

How can I fix the CVE-2020-35496 vulnerability?

To fix the CVE-2020-35496 vulnerability, you should update binutils to version 2.34 or later.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2020-35496?

You can find more information about CVE-2020-35496 at the following references: [1] [2] [3].

Contact

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