CVE-2020-21490 : What You Need to Know

This CVE record pertains to a memory leak issue in GNU Binutils 2.34, affecting the microblaze-dis.c process.

Understanding CVE-2020-21490

This vulnerability involves a memory leak in the microblaze-dis.c process within GNU Binutils 2.34, leading to continuous memory consumption.

What is CVE-2020-21490?

The CVE-2020-21490 vulnerability is a memory leak issue discovered in GNU Binutils 2.34, specifically within the microblaze-dis.c process. This flaw results in the gradual consumption of memory with each disassembled instruction.

The Impact of CVE-2020-21490

The impact of this vulnerability includes potential denial of service due to excessive memory consumption, leading to system instability and performance degradation.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-21490

This section provides technical insights into the CVE-2020-21490 vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability involves a memory leak in the microblaze-dis.c process of GNU Binutils 2.34, causing continuous memory consumption during instruction disassembly.

Affected Systems and Versions

Vendor: n/a
Product: n/a
Versions: All versions of GNU Binutils 2.34 are affected.

Exploitation Mechanism

The exploitation of this vulnerability involves triggering the disassembly of instructions using the microblaze-dis.c process, leading to memory leaks and subsequent resource exhaustion.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2020-21490 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Monitor system memory usage closely to detect any abnormal spikes indicating memory leaks.
Implement memory management tools to track and manage memory allocation effectively.
Consider limiting the execution of potentially vulnerable processes until a patch is available.

Long-Term Security Practices

Conduct regular security audits and code reviews to identify and address memory management issues proactively.
Train developers on secure coding practices to prevent memory leaks and other common vulnerabilities.
Stay informed about security advisories and updates from software vendors to apply patches promptly.

Patching and Updates

Stay updated with patches and fixes released by GNU Binutils to address the memory leak vulnerability in version 2.34.