CVE-2024-53589: GNU objdump Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2024-53589 Overview

CVE-2024-53589 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in GNU objdump 2.43, specifically affecting the BFD (Binary File Descriptor) library's handling of tekhex format files. This memory corruption flaw allows attackers to potentially corrupt adjacent memory, leading to arbitrary code execution or application crashes when processing maliciously crafted tekhex files.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation of this buffer overflow can lead to high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running objdump.

Affected Products

• GNU Binutils objdump version 2.43
• Systems using BFD library for binary file handling
• Development environments with vulnerable binutils installations

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-12-05 - CVE-2024-53589 published to NVD
• 2025-03-14 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-53589

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability exists in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library, a core component of GNU Binutils used for reading and manipulating object files, archive files, and executables across various binary formats. The tekhex format parser within BFD fails to properly validate buffer boundaries when processing specially crafted tekhex files.

The BFD library is widely used by essential development tools including objdump, objcopy, readelf, and the GNU linker (ld). When objdump parses a tekhex-formatted file containing malformed records, the lack of proper bounds checking allows data to overflow allocated buffer space.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-120 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input), indicating that the underlying issue stems from copying data into a fixed-size buffer without verifying that the input does not exceed the buffer's capacity.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in insufficient input validation within the tekhex format parsing routines of the BFD library. When processing tekhex records, the parser copies data into buffers without adequately verifying that the incoming data length does not exceed the destination buffer size. This classic buffer overflow condition occurs because the code assumes well-formed input and does not implement defensive bounds checking.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access, as the attacker must provide a maliciously crafted tekhex file for the victim to process with objdump. Attack scenarios include:

1. Development Environment Compromise: An attacker could distribute malicious tekhex files through source code repositories, build artifacts, or shared development resources
2. Supply Chain Attack: Malicious files could be embedded in software packages or build dependencies
3. Social Engineering: Convincing a developer to analyze a seemingly legitimate binary file

When a user runs objdump against the malicious tekhex file, the buffer overflow triggers, potentially allowing the attacker to overwrite adjacent memory structures and hijack program execution flow. For detailed technical analysis, refer to the Bushido Security Analysis.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-53589

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes of objdump or other binutils tools when processing files
• Core dumps or segmentation faults in binutils applications
• Presence of unusually large or malformed tekhex files in development environments
• Abnormal memory consumption by binary analysis tools

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for objdump process crashes or abnormal termination signals (SIGSEGV, SIGABRT)
• Implement file integrity monitoring for incoming binary files in CI/CD pipelines
• Deploy endpoint detection to identify exploitation attempts via memory corruption patterns
• Use static analysis tools to scan tekhex files before processing with vulnerable tools

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable core dump collection and analysis for binutils applications
• Monitor development systems for unusual objdump invocations with untrusted files
• Implement logging for binary analysis tool execution in automated build systems
• Review audit logs for access to objdump and related binutils on shared development infrastructure

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-53589

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade GNU Binutils to a patched version that addresses the tekhex parsing vulnerability
• Avoid processing untrusted tekhex files with affected versions of objdump
• Implement input validation for binary files before analysis in development workflows
• Isolate binary analysis tasks in sandboxed environments with limited privileges

Patch Information

Users should update their GNU Binutils installation to the latest available version. Check for security updates from your operating system vendor or download the latest binutils release from the GNU Binutils project page. NetApp customers should review the NetApp Security Advisory for product-specific guidance.

Workarounds

• Run objdump in a containerized or sandboxed environment when analyzing untrusted files
• Use alternative binary analysis tools that are not affected by this vulnerability
• Implement strict access controls limiting which users can execute binutils on shared systems
• Validate tekhex file structure and size before passing to objdump

# Configuration example
# Run objdump in a restricted container environment
docker run --rm -v /path/to/files:/data:ro --security-opt=no-new-privileges:true \
  --cap-drop=ALL binutils-sandbox objdump -d /data/suspect.hex

# Check binutils version before processing untrusted files
objdump --version | head -1
# Ensure version is newer than 2.43 with security patches applied