CVE-2018-16403: Medium severity Elfutils Project Elfutils vulnerability

Published Sep 3, 2018
·
Updated

Elfutils through version 0.173 is vulnerable to a heap-based buffer over-read due to incorrect checks for the end of attribute lists in the libdw/dwarfgetabbrev.c:libdwgetabbrev() and libdw/dwarfhasattr.c:dwarfhasattr() functions. An attacker could exploit this to cause a crash via a crafted ELF.

Upstream Bug:

https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/showbug.cgi?id=23529

Upstream Patch:

https://sourceware.org/git/?p=elfutils.git;a=patch;h=6983e59b727458a6c64d9659c85f08218bc4fcda

Other sources

libdw in elfutils 0.173 checks the end of the attributes list incorrectly in dwarfgetabbrev in dwarfgetabbrev.c and dwarfhasattr in dwarfhasattr.c, leading to a heap-based buffer over-read and an application crash.

Launchpad

Affected Software

2 affected componentsFixes available
Elfutils Project Elfutils=0.173
debian/elfutils
0.183-10.188-2.10.192-40.194-1

Event History

Sep 3, 2018
CVE Published
via MITRE·07:00 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·07:00 PM
Description
Sep 4, 2018
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·04:45 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Feb 20, 2026
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·05:30 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via Debian·05:31 PM
DescriptionAffected Software
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·05:31 PM
Description
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2018-16403?

CVE-2018-16403 is rated as a medium severity vulnerability due to its potential to cause application crashes.

2

How do I fix CVE-2018-16403?

To fix CVE-2018-16403, upgrade to a patched version of elfutils, specifically version 0.183-1 or later.

3

What types of attacks can exploit CVE-2018-16403?

CVE-2018-16403 can be exploited by attackers through crafted ELF files to trigger heap-based buffer over-reads.

4

Which versions of elfutils are affected by CVE-2018-16403?

CVE-2018-16403 affects elfutils versions up to and including 0.173.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2018-16403?

More detailed information about CVE-2018-16403 can typically be found in security bulletins relevant to the affected distributions.

Contact

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