USN-6381-1: GNU binutils vulnerabilities

18 September 2023

Several security issues were fixed in GNU binutils.

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Releases

Packages

  • binutils - GNU assembler, linker and binary utilities

Details

It was discovered that a memory leak existed in certain GNU binutils
modules. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause a denial of
service (memory exhaustion). (CVE-2020-19724, CVE-2020-21490)

It was discovered that GNU binutils was not properly performing bounds
checks in several functions, which could lead to a buffer overflow. An
attacker could possibly use this issue to cause a denial of service,
expose sensitive information or execute arbitrary code.
(CVE-2020-19726, CVE-2021-46174, CVE-2022-45703)

It was discovered that GNU binutils was not properly initializing heap
memory when processing certain print instructions. An attacker could
possibly use this issue to expose sensitive information. (CVE-2020-35342)

It was discovered that GNU binutils was not properly handling the logic
behind certain memory management related operations, which could lead to a
buffer overflow. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause a
denial of service or execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2022-44840)

It was discovered that GNU binutils was not properly handling the logic
behind certain memory management related operations, which could lead to
an invalid memory access. An attacker could possibly use this issue to
cause a denial of service. (CVE-2022-47695)

Reduce your security exposure

Ubuntu Pro provides ten-year security coverage to 25,000+ packages in Main and Universe repositories, and it is free for up to five machines.

Learn more about Ubuntu Pro

Update instructions

The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package versions:

Ubuntu 18.04
Ubuntu 16.04
Ubuntu 14.04

In general, a standard system update will make all the necessary changes.

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