# CVE-2018-20712: Memory corruption in n/a

> A heap-based buffer over-read in GNU libiberty allows attackers to cause a denial of service via crafted input to c++filt.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 15 Jan 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2018-20712, CLEANSTART-2025-QJ02692, DEBIAN-CVE-2018-20712, ECHO-0160-9330-67cd, GHSA-cgr8-f44r-j4r5, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2018-20712, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-20712

## What is CVE-2018-20712?

CVE-2018-20712 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Gnu Binutils, published on 15 Jan 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A heap-based buffer over-read exists in the function d_expression_1 in cp-demangle.c in GNU libiberty, as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.31.1. A crafted input can cause segmentation faults, leading to denial-of-service, as demonstrated by c++filt.

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-20712?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Gnu Binutils.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-20712?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2018-20712 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-20712 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Gnu Binutils

- [CVE-2017-7614](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-7614/): Null dereference in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2014-9939](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-9939/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-7226](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-7226/): Information disclosure in n/a (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2017-6969](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6969/): Information disclosure in n/a (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2020-19726](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-19726/): Denial of service in n/a (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-20712 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-20712 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Gnu Binutils, published on 15 Jan 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-20712 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Gnu Binutils. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-20712/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-20712/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-20712
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-20712
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-20712

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-20712/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.