# CVE-2020-15889: Memory corruption in n/a

> A heap-based buffer over-read in Lua's garbage collector allows attackers to cause denial of service or disclose sensitive memory contents.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Jul 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** BIT-lua-2020-15889, DEBIAN-CVE-2020-15889, GHSA-j29r-h8wr-v5v8

## What is CVE-2020-15889?

CVE-2020-15889 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Jul 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Lua 5.4.0 has a getobjname heap-based buffer over-read because youngcollection in lgc.c uses markold for an insufficient number of list members.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-15889?

1 open source package ship an affected version, including lua. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `lua` | Bitnami | From 5.4.0 | 5.4.1 |

Products: Lua Lua.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-15889?

Upgrade lua to 5.4.1 or later.

## Is CVE-2020-15889 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-15889 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2020-15888](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-15888/): Use after free in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2021-45985](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-45985/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2020-24369](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24369/): Null dereference in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2021-44964](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-44964/): Use after free in n/a (medium 6.3)
- [CVE-2020-15945](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-15945/): Null dereference in n/a (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-15889 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-15889 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Jul 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-15889 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- lua (Bitnami): affected from 5.4.0; fixed in 5.4.1

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-2020-15889/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-15889/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-15889
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15889
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-15889

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-15889/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.