CVE-2018-6951 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A problem has been found in the GNU patch software version 2.7.6 and below, leading to a denial of service vulnerability due to a NULL pointer dereference in the intuit_diff_type function.

Understanding CVE-2018-6951

What is CVE-2018-6951?

An issue discovered in GNU patch through version 2.7.6 causes a segmentation fault and denial of service vulnerability in the intuit_diff_type function in pch.c, known as a "mangled rename" issue.

The Impact of CVE-2018-6951

The vulnerability allows attackers to cause a denial of service by exploiting a NULL pointer dereference, potentially disrupting system availability.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-6951

Vulnerability Description

Affects GNU patch software version 2.7.6 and below
Denial of service vulnerability due to a NULL pointer dereference
Vulnerability located in the intuit_diff_type function in pch.c

Affected Systems and Versions

GNU patch software version 2.7.6 and earlier

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit the vulnerability by triggering a NULL pointer dereference in the intuit_diff_type function.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Update GNU patch software to a patched version
Monitor vendor advisories for security patches

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software and apply security patches
Implement proper input validation to prevent NULL pointer dereference vulnerabilities

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by GNU patch software vendor to address the vulnerability