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No exploitation reportedFix available

CVE-2018-20657

No exploitation reported by the sources we read.

  • Published2019-01-02
  • WeaknessCWE-772

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

Description

The demangle_template function in cplus-dem.c in GNU libiberty, as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.31.1, has a memory leak via a crafted string, leading to a denial of service (memory consumption), as demonstrated by cxxfilt, a related issue to CVE-2018-12698.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2019-01-0214:29CVE publishedNVD

Versions per branch

NVD
F5 traffix signaling delivery controller
BranchAffectedFixed in
5.x≥ 5.0.0, ≤ 5.1.0no fix published
4.4= 4.4.0no fix published
Gnu binutils
BranchAffectedFixed in
2.31= 2.31.1no fix published

as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.

Distribution builds and vendor advisories

Packages from OSV.dev and products from the vendors' CSAF advisories.

version not verifiedVersions not verified: read as OSV.dev and the vendors publish them, not checked against each vendor's release list.

Packages

  • binutilsUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed
  • binutilsUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed
  • binutilsUbuntu:Pro:14.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed
  • gdbRed Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamall versions · fixed in 0:8.2-6.el8and 5 other packages

Vendor advisories

  • CVE-2018-20657 Red Hat Product Security22 products fixed · 115 known affected

    libiberty: Memory leak in demangle_template function resulting in a denial of service

    binutils.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 · gcc.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 · gdb.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 · +112 more

  • RHSA-2019:3352 Red Hat Product Security22 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: gdb security, bug fix, and enhancement update

Full record on NVD

Fix

  1. Vendor fix Red Hat Product Security RHSA-2019:3352 · 22 productsFor details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258
  2. No fix planned, says the vendor Red Hat Product Security CVE-2018-20657 · 115 productsWill not fix

Detection

Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof of concept
Metasploit modules
none listed
Metasploit Framework

Sources

Identifiers

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Published
2019-01-02
Last Modified
2026-06-17
NVD status
Modified
GitHub Advisory
GHSA-qhfg-hc2h-mmfc

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-20657?

The demangle_template function in cplus-dem.c in GNU libiberty, as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.31.1, has a memory leak via a crafted string, leading to a denial of service (memory consumption), as demonstrated by cxxfilt, a related issue to CVE-2018-12698.

Is CVE-2018-20657 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2018-20657 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 4.0% on 2026-11-09, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2018-20657?

CVE-2018-20657 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.5 (HIGH severity), with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

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Sources for this record