How severe is CVE-2020-35493?

CVE-2020-35493 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-35493 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (62nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-35493?

CVE-2020-35493 primarily affects Gnu Binutils. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-35493?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2020-35493 published?

CVE-2020-35493 was published on 2021-01-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-35493

CVE-2020-35493 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Gnu Binutils with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-20.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (62nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-20
Affected product: Gnu Binutils
Published: 2021-01-04
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A flaw exists in binutils in bfd/pef.c. An attacker who is able to submit a crafted PEF file to be parsed by objdump could cause a heap buffer overflow -> out-of-bounds read that could lead to an impact to application availability. This flaw affects binutils versions prior to 2.34.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-35493?: A flaw exists in binutils in bfd/pef.c. An attacker who is able to submit a crafted PEF file to be parsed by objdump could cause a heap buffer overflow -> out-of-bounds read that could lead to an impact to application availability. This flaw affects binutils versions prior to 2.34.
How severe is CVE-2020-35493?: CVE-2020-35493 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-35493 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (62nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-35493?: CVE-2020-35493 primarily affects Gnu Binutils. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-35493?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-35493 published?: CVE-2020-35493 was published on 2021-01-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (8)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:binutils:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:cloud_backup:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:ontap_select_deploy_administration_utility:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:solidfire\,_enterprise_sds_\&_hci_storage_node:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:solidfire_\&_hci_management_node:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:broadcom:brocade_fabric_operating_system_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:netapp:hci_compute_node_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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