Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2018-18605

A heap-based buffer over-read issue was discovered in the function sec_merge_hash_lookup in merge.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.31, because _bfd_add_merge_section mishandles section merges when size is not a multiple of entsize. A specially crafted ELF allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service, as demonstrated by ld.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity though user interaction is required and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 3 products from gnu, from debian, from netapp organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2018, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2018-10-23T17:29:00.363

Last Modified

2024-11-21T03:56:14.070

Status

Modified

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: MEDIUM
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: NONE
Integrity Impact: NONE
Availability Impact: PARTIAL

Exploitability Score

8.6

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-125

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	gnu	binutils	2.31	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	7.0	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	8.0	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	9.0	Yes
Operating System	netapp	data_ontap	-	Yes

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00072.html ([email protected])
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-11/msg00008.html ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105754 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0003/ Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=23804 Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=ab419ddbb2cdd17ca83618990f2cacf904ce1d61 ([email protected])
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4336-1/ ([email protected])
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00072.html (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-11/msg00008.html (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105754 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0003/ Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=23804 Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=ab419ddbb2cdd17ca83618990f2cacf904ce1d61 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4336-1/ (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For gnu's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.