CVE-2019-17450 : What You Need to Know

A vulnerability in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library in GNU Binutils version 2.32 can lead to a denial of service attack due to infinite recursion.

Understanding CVE-2019-17450

The "find_abstract_instance" function in the dwarf2.c file within the BFD library is susceptible to exploitation by remote attackers using a specially crafted ELF file.

What is CVE-2019-17450?

The vulnerability in the BFD library allows remote attackers to trigger infinite recursion, resulting in a denial of service by crashing the application.

The Impact of CVE-2019-17450

Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to a denial of service attack, causing the application to crash due to infinite recursion.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-17450

The technical aspects of the vulnerability in the BFD library.

Vulnerability Description

The "find_abstract_instance" function in dwarf2.c within the BFD library in GNU Binutils version 2.32 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service through infinite recursion and application crash using a crafted ELF file.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Not applicable
Vendor: Not applicable
Version: Not applicable

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by remote attackers using a specially crafted ELF file to trigger infinite recursion, leading to a denial of service.

Mitigation and Prevention

Ways to mitigate and prevent the CVE-2019-17450 vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply vendor patches or updates to the affected Binutils version.
Implement proper input validation to prevent the execution of malicious ELF files.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software and libraries to the latest versions.
Conduct security assessments and audits to identify and address vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Check for security advisories from the Binutils vendor and apply patches promptly to mitigate the vulnerability.