CVE-2020-35538
Description
A vulnerability was found in libjpeg-turbo where a segmentation fault occurs due to a NULL pointer passing to jcopy_sample_rows(). You may see this error statement: "Corrupt JPEG data: premature end of data segment". When processed by a libjpeg-turbo, a crafted input file could cause a crash, leading to a denial of service.
Statement
This vulnerability is considered low severity rather than moderate because it primarily results in a denial of service (DoS) through a crash, without posing a direct risk of code execution or information disclosure. The issue arises due to a NULL pointer dereference when processing a malformed JPEG file, which leads to a segmentation fault but does not introduce memory corruption or arbitrary code execution risks. Additionally, most applications using libjpeg-turbo process images in a non-privileged context, meaning a crash does not compromise system security beyond affecting availability. Since the exploitation requires user interaction (i.e., opening a crafted JPEG), and modern systems can handle such crashes gracefully (e.g., automatic process restart mechanisms), the overall impact remains low.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.5 | 5.5 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | None | None | N/A |
| User Interaction | Required | Required | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | None | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
NULL pointer dereferences usually result in the failure of the process unless exception handling (on some platforms) is available and implemented. Even when exception handling is being used, it can still be very difficult to return the software to a safe state of operation.
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Read Memory; Modify Memory
In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution.
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