CVE-2025-1372: Elfutils Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2025-1372 Overview

A buffer overflow vulnerability has been identified in GNU elfutils version 0.192. This vulnerability affects the dump_data_section and print_string_section functions within the readelf.c file of the eu-readelf component. The vulnerability is triggered through manipulation of the z/x arguments, which can lead to a buffer overflow condition. This issue requires local access to exploit.

Critical Impact

Local attackers can exploit this buffer overflow to potentially corrupt memory, crash the application, or achieve code execution through crafted ELF files processed by eu-readelf.

Affected Products

• GNU elfutils version 0.192

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-02-17 - CVE-2025-1372 published to NVD
• 2025-11-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-1372

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as a buffer overflow (CWE-120) stemming from improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer (CWE-119). The vulnerable functions dump_data_section and print_string_section in readelf.c fail to properly validate input boundaries when processing certain arguments, specifically the z and x parameters.

The eu-readelf utility is a widely-used tool for displaying information about ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) files on Linux and Unix systems. When processing malformed or specially crafted ELF files, the affected functions can write beyond allocated buffer boundaries, leading to memory corruption.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient bounds checking within the dump_data_section and print_string_section functions. When these functions process the z/x arguments, they do not adequately validate the size of data being written to memory buffers. This allows an attacker to craft input that causes writes beyond the intended buffer boundaries, resulting in classic buffer overflow conditions.

Attack Vector

This vulnerability requires local access to exploit. An attacker would need to either:

1. Have local access to a system where they can run eu-readelf with a maliciously crafted ELF file
2. Convince a user to process a malicious ELF file using eu-readelf
3. Exploit automated build or analysis systems that process untrusted ELF files using elfutils

The attack is initiated by providing a specially crafted ELF file as input to the eu-readelf utility, which triggers the buffer overflow when the vulnerable functions attempt to process the malicious data.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1372

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes or segmentation faults when running eu-readelf against ELF files
• Unusual memory access patterns in processes using elfutils libraries
• Core dumps generated by eu-readelf processing that indicate memory corruption
• Anomalous ELF files with unusual section headers or data structures in analysis directories

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for abnormal termination of eu-readelf processes, particularly with SIGSEGV or SIGABRT signals
• Implement file integrity monitoring on systems processing untrusted ELF binaries
• Deploy runtime application self-protection (RASP) tools to detect buffer overflow attempts
• Use AddressSanitizer (ASan) during development and testing to identify memory safety issues

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable core dump collection and analysis for eu-readelf and related elfutils utilities
• Configure audit logging for elfutils binary executions on critical systems
• Implement anomaly detection for processes that frequently crash while processing ELF files
• Monitor build and CI/CD systems that may process untrusted ELF files

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1372

Immediate Actions Required

• Update GNU elfutils to a version that includes the security patch (commit 73db9d2021cab9e23fd734b0a76a612d52a6f1db)
• Avoid processing untrusted ELF files with affected versions of eu-readelf
• Isolate systems running vulnerable elfutils versions from processing external binaries
• Implement sandboxing for ELF file analysis operations using containerization or seccomp

Patch Information

A patch has been made available to address this vulnerability. The fix is identified by commit hash 73db9d2021cab9e23fd734b0a76a612d52a6f1db. Users should apply this patch or update to a version of elfutils that includes this fix. For more details, refer to the Sourceware Bugzilla Entry and associated patch attachment.

Workarounds

• Restrict execution of eu-readelf to trusted ELF files only until the patch can be applied
• Run eu-readelf within a sandboxed environment (e.g., containers, chroot, or seccomp) when processing potentially untrusted files
• Compile elfutils with stack protection flags (e.g., -fstack-protector-strong) as an additional defense layer
• Use alternative ELF analysis tools that are not affected by this vulnerability for untrusted file analysis

# Apply the security patch from source
git clone git://sourceware.org/git/elfutils.git
cd elfutils
git checkout 73db9d2021cab9e23fd734b0a76a612d52a6f1db
./configure --prefix=/usr/local
make && sudo make install