CVE-2020-36420 : What You Need to Know

Polipo through 1.1.1, when NDEBUG is omitted, allows denial of service via a reachable assertion during parsing of a malformed Range header. This vulnerability only affects products that are no longer supported by the maintainer.

Understanding CVE-2020-36420

Polipo through version 1.1.1 is susceptible to a denial-of-service vulnerability due to a reachable assertion during the parsing of a malformed Range header.

What is CVE-2020-36420?

CVE-2020-36420 is a vulnerability in Polipo, specifically versions up to 1.1.1, that enables a denial-of-service attack by triggering a reachable assertion during the processing of a malformed Range header. It is important to note that this vulnerability impacts products that are no longer maintained by the developer.

The Impact of CVE-2020-36420

The vulnerability allows attackers to cause a denial of service on systems running the affected Polipo versions. By exploiting this issue, an attacker can disrupt the normal operation of the application, potentially leading to service unavailability.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-36420

Polipo through version 1.1.1 is affected by this vulnerability, leading to a denial-of-service risk.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises when NDEBUG is omitted, allowing attackers to trigger a reachable assertion during the parsing of a malformed Range header.

Affected Systems and Versions

Polipo versions up to 1.1.1
Products that are no longer supported by the maintainer

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted malformed Range header to the vulnerable Polipo server, triggering the reachable assertion and causing a denial of service.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2020-36420, immediate steps and long-term security practices are recommended.

Immediate Steps to Take

Disable or restrict access to the affected Polipo server if it is no longer required
Implement network-level protections to filter out potentially malicious requests

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch software to mitigate known vulnerabilities
Monitor security mailing lists and sources for updates on unsupported products

Patching and Updates

As the affected products are no longer supported, consider migrating to alternative solutions or custom patches to address the vulnerability.