HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2020-16592
MEDIUM

CVE-2020-16592

CWE-416Published: December 9, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

5.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A use after free issue exists in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd) in GNU Binutils 2.34 in bfd_hash_lookup, as demonstrated in nm-new, that can cause a denial of service via a crafted file.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-16592 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation does not require any privileges, though user interaction (Required) is needed, which slightly reduces the risk of mass automated attacks.

A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 5.5.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-416): Use-after-free vulnerabilities involve accessing memory after it has been freed, often enabling arbitrary code execution.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionRequired
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
gnu1 product(s)
binutils
netapp1 product(s)
ontap select deploy administration utility
Source: NVD CPE · 4 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210115-0003/
ADVISORYhttps://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=25823
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210115-0003/
ADVISORYhttps://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=25823

All References (10)

→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DJIW6KKY2TSLD43XEZXG56WREIIBUIIQ/
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UKIMSD5FIC3QFJDKNHR2PSO6JYJGCLHB/
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210115-0003/Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=25823Exploit · Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=7ecb51549ab1ec22aba5aaf34b70323cf0b8509a
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DJIW6KKY2TSLD43XEZXG56WREIIBUIIQ/
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UKIMSD5FIC3QFJDKNHR2PSO6JYJGCLHB/
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210115-0003/Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=25823Exploit · Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=7ecb51549ab1ec22aba5aaf34b70323cf0b8509a

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2020-16592
CVSS Score5.5 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-416
CISA KEVNo
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedDec 9, 2020

Related CVEs (CWE-416)

CVE-2015-3075
10.0
CVE-2015-3059
10.0
CVE-2014-1512
10.0
CVE-2015-3053
10.0
CVE-2014-1563
10.0
CVE-2015-4448
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2020-16592 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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