CVE-2025-1371: Elfutils Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2025-1371 Overview

A null pointer dereference vulnerability has been identified in GNU elfutils version 0.192, affecting the handle_dynamic_symtab function within the readelf.c file of the eu-read component. This vulnerability allows a local attacker to trigger a denial of service condition through crafted input that causes the application to crash when processing malformed ELF files.

Critical Impact

Local attackers can exploit this null pointer dereference to cause application crashes, leading to denial of service for systems that rely on elfutils for ELF binary analysis and debugging operations.

Affected Products

• GNU elfutils 0.192
• elfutils_project elfutils

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-02-17 - CVE CVE-2025-1371 published to NVD
• 2025-11-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-1371

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as a null pointer dereference (CWE-476) and improper resource shutdown or release (CWE-404). The issue resides in the handle_dynamic_symtab function within readelf.c, which is part of the eu-read utility. When processing specially crafted ELF files, the function fails to properly validate pointer references before dereferencing them, leading to a crash condition.

The exploit has been publicly disclosed through the Sourceware Bugzilla Report, making it potentially accessible to attackers with local access to affected systems. GNU elfutils is widely used in Linux distributions for ELF binary analysis, debugging, and development workflows, meaning this vulnerability could impact development environments and build systems that process untrusted ELF files.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient null pointer validation in the handle_dynamic_symtab function. When the function processes dynamic symbol table entries from an ELF file, it assumes certain data structures are properly initialized and valid. A malformed or specially crafted ELF file can violate these assumptions, causing the function to dereference a null pointer when accessing symbol table data.

Attack Vector

This vulnerability requires local access to the target system. An attacker must be able to supply a malicious ELF file to the elfutils eu-read utility for processing. Attack scenarios include:

• Supplying a crafted ELF binary to automated build or analysis pipelines
• Tricking a user into analyzing a malicious ELF file using eu-readelf
• Placing malformed ELF files in directories processed by development tools

The vulnerability manifests when eu-readelf attempts to parse the dynamic symbol table section of a maliciously crafted ELF file. The crafted file contains invalid data that results in the handle_dynamic_symtab function receiving or generating a null pointer, which is then dereferenced without proper validation, causing the application to crash. Technical details and a proof-of-concept can be found in the Sourceware Bugzilla Attachment.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1371

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes or segmentation faults in eu-readelf or related elfutils binaries
• Core dumps generated by elfutils components during ELF file processing
• Unusual ELF files with malformed dynamic symbol table sections in build directories
• Repeated process termination events for elfutils utilities in system logs

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for segmentation fault signals (SIGSEGV) originating from elfutils binaries
• Implement file integrity monitoring on elfutils installation directories
• Deploy application crash monitoring for development and build systems using elfutils
• Review system logs for abnormal termination patterns in eu-readelf processes

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable core dump analysis on systems running elfutils in production workflows
• Configure process monitoring to alert on unexpected elfutils utility crashes
• Implement input validation for ELF files processed by automated systems
• Audit access to systems where elfutils is used for binary analysis

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1371

Immediate Actions Required

• Update GNU elfutils to a version containing the security patch
• Restrict local access to systems processing untrusted ELF files with elfutils
• Implement input validation to filter potentially malicious ELF files before processing
• Consider sandboxing elfutils operations when processing untrusted input

Patch Information

A patch has been identified to fix this issue with commit hash b38e562a4c907e08171c76b8b2def8464d5a104a. It is strongly recommended to apply this patch or upgrade to a patched version of GNU elfutils. For additional patch details, refer to the Sourceware Bugzilla Comment.

Workarounds

• Avoid processing untrusted or unknown ELF files with elfutils until patched
• Run elfutils utilities in restricted environments or containers when analyzing unknown binaries
• Implement process isolation to limit the impact of potential crashes
• Use alternative ELF analysis tools for untrusted files until the patch is applied

# Verify elfutils version and check if patch is needed
eu-readelf --version

# Check if running vulnerable version 0.192
rpm -qa | grep elfutils
# or for Debian-based systems
dpkg -l | grep elfutils

# Apply patch from source if building elfutils manually
git clone https://sourceware.org/git/elfutils.git
cd elfutils
git log --oneline | grep b38e562a4c907e08171c76b8b2def8464d5a104a