CVE-2018-20623: gnu binutils Use After Free

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2018-20623 is a medium (CVSS 5.5) Use After Free vulnerability in gnu binutils. EPSS estimates a 1.82% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 78.3% of scored vulnerabilities. 1 public exploit is recorded.

Timeline

1. 31-12-2018
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 06-05-2025
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In GNU Binutils 2.31.1, there is a use-after-free in the error function in elfcomm.c when called from the process_archive function in readelf.c via a crafted ELF file.

• CWE-416Use After FreeThe product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.