Gegl libbabl 0.1.62 babl_free double free

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Gegl libbabl 0.1.62. It has been classified as critical. This affects the function babl_free. The manipulation leads to double free. This vulnerability is referenced as CVE-2020-37239. Remote exploitation of the attack is possible. Furthermore, an exploit is available.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Gegl libbabl 0.1.62. It has been rated as critical. This issue affects the function babl_free. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a double free vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-415. The product calls free() twice on the same memory address, potentially leading to modification of unexpected memory locations. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

libbabl 0.1.62 contains a broken double free detection vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass memory safety checks by exploiting signature overwriting in freed chunks. Attackers can call babl_free() twice on the same pointer without triggering detection, as libc's malloc metadata overwrites babl's signature field upon freeing, enabling potential memory corruption and code execution.

The weakness was published by Carter Yagemann as 49259. It is possible to read the advisory at exploit-db.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2020-37239 since 05/15/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. Technical details as well as a public exploit are known.

The exploit is available at exploit-db.com. It is declared as proof-of-concept. The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 315990 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2020-37239), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at Tenable (315990). Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Vendor

• Gegl

Name

• libbabl

Version

• 0.1.62

CPE 2.3info

• 🔒

CPE 2.2info

• 🔒

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Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

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